【Part 1】Passion Opens a Path Where None Exists: Rui Hachimura on the Origins of His Drive to Take on Challenges at SUMMIT 2026

This was the scene on “GAME DAY,” the final day of “BLACK SAMURAI SUMMIT 2026”, held in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, from August 6 to 8. Following the Kobe camp, where around 100 junior high and high school students experienced world-class standards, the stage moved to Nagoya. Here, players aged 18 and under who aspire to compete on the world stage took part in a three-day program designed to turn their dreams into concrete goals. 

The summit was held as part of Hachimura’s project to nurture the next generation of athletes. Daiichi Life Group supported the initiative as its Diamond Partner. In an exclusive interview, Hachimura shared thoughts that clearly resonated with the values we hold dear.

During the first two days, the players received world-class coaching from Phil Handy, an assistant coach with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, and others. On the final day, they competed in a serious five-on-five game before a large crowd. Hachimura himself takes pride in the fact that an opportunity of this scale is unprecedented in Japan.  

One of the summit’s themes was “The NBA Is Not Just a Dream.” Even for the best players of their generation, the NBA is not an easy stage to reach. At the summit, the players received world-class coaching, played before a large audience, and learned about the principles Hachimura has valued in competing globally. The aim of the three days was for them to view playing in the NBA or overseas not merely as an aspiration, but as a concrete goal of their own. 

Immersed in this environment, the players spoke of wanting to become NBA players and to play overseas in the future. Kenichiro Benedict, who plays in the United States, said, “I want to absorb as much as I can from Rui’s way of thinking. This summit is a definite step toward reaching a higher level.” The comments from the players, including MVP winner Roi Honda, suggested that they had begun to view taking on the world as a more tangible challenge. 

Our Group aspires to support the next step of people who are taking on a challenge. That belief is also why we decided to support this project, which encourages these players to pursue their ambitions.

“I think everything you do should have a purpose. If there is no purpose behind what you are doing, it has no meaning. Your intention is, in other words, your purpose. Why am I doing this? Is this necessary? I believe that acting while thinking through those questions helps you both on and off the court,” Hachimura said. 

Even in the same practice session, how much a player absorbs changes depending on whether they act with intention. Rather than simply going through the motions, Hachimura and Coach Handy continually asked the players to think about why they were doing each exercise. Hachimura recalls, “Ever since I was young, I disliked wasting effort and preferred doing things efficiently.” For him, acting with intention was also a habit that raised the quality of his work. 

Hachimura wanted the players not only to understand what they had been taught, but also to express themselves on the court. Ahead of GAME DAY on the final day, Shunsuke Miyazato of the Ryukyu Golden Kings U18 said, “When I step onto the court, I want to play with so much hunger that I seem like a different person.” His words reflected a determination to express his intention through his play before a large crowd. 

When a vague dream becomes a concrete goal, the steps required to reach it by the shortest route come into view, and intention takes shape. That does not make the journey easy. Yet behind Hachimura’s refusal to give up on reaching the NBA was a particular mindset. 

“Since I was young, I had dreamed of becoming an NBA player. As it came closer, that dream gradually became a goal. But I understood that achieving it would require doing difficult things. I believed that I was growing the most while doing those difficult things, so whenever things were painful or hard, I kept going by telling myself that this was precisely when I was growing the most,” Hachimura said. 

The hardest times are when we grow the most. By reminding himself of this, Hachimura overcame hardship time and again. 

The NBA has approximately 450 roster spots. Each year, 60 new players enter the league, and the lineup continually changes. In this demanding world, where the average career is said to last only four to five years, people who have devoted their lives to reaching the top compete for a limited number of places. 

“They have truly staked their lives on basketball. You have to compete against people like that, and you have to survive among them. That is why everything has to begin with genuine passion and a deep commitment to basketball. I always make a point of valuing that,” Hachimura said. 

Passion and intention. Ultimately, these may be the two ideas Hachimura sought to convey over the three days. His passion, sustained by never letting go of the question “Why am I standing here?”, opened an uncharted path and led him to become the first Japanese player selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. 

Approaching the sport with passion and intention, Hachimura wanted the players to understand not only the importance of becoming professionals, but also of becoming self-reliant as professionals and looking ahead to life beyond their playing careers. In Nagoya, opportunities to learn about that future were also provided.