“Japanese Steph Curry” impresses in NBA debut for G League United

SANTA CRUZ – There has never been, and never will be, another Steph Curry. But when Keisei Tominaga walked into the G League Fall Invitational at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Wednesday night, it was clear why the 6-foot-2 sharpshooter is nicknamed “The Japanese Steph Curry” and “Samurai Steph.”

Tominaga has it all and his star qualities and skills as an actor cannot be overlooked.

After sitting on the bench for the entire first quarter for the newly formed G League United in their 99-81 win over Serbia's BC Mega MIS, Tominaga didn't waste a second in showing off his famous 3-pointer. A minute and a half into the second quarter, from his drive to his blocking to his 3-pointer, Tominaga did his best Curry impression on his first shot attempt of the night. Tominaga set a block at the free throw line, broke free and was free from distance.

Does this sound familiar? It looked familiar. Without hesitation, Tominaga practiced the catch-and-shoot three-pointer on the move.

“I just love shooting the basketball,” Tominaga told NBC Sports Bay Area on Tuesday after United's final practice before its first game. “It's not just about shooting threes either, it's about how to get free and create space. I'm still learning the process, but that's how I'm getting better.”

Every word of that assessment brings to mind Curry. And there's a reason for that. Curry is Tominaga's favorite player of all time. He can't recall his first memories of watching Curry play, but he can remember shooting baskets from unthinkable distances a year or two before the Golden State superstar led the Warriors to their first championship in 40 years.

And his penchant for 3-point shooting isn't the only reason the Moriyama, Japan native chose Curry.

“I love his passion for playing basketball,” Tominaga says.

Curry is obviously a fan of Tominaga as well. Last June, Tominaga signed a multi-year shoe deal with Curry Brand, becoming the first international athlete to be signed to the brand.

He was thrilled. His new reality exceeded anything Tominaga could have ever imagined when he watched Curry on the other side of the world.

“It means a lot to me,” Tominaga said. “He's my favorite player, hands down. I'm so happy to be part of the Curry Brand family. When I heard that Steph agreed to sign with Steph's brand, I was super happy and super excited.”

Tominaga's first three-pointer on Wednesday night was just the beginning of an impressive performance from the instant fan favorite. In the second quarter, Tominaga scored nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, including a spectacular reverse layup that the left-hander finished with his right hand, and he made two of his three 3-point attempts.

Making long shots came naturally to Tominaga from a young age, but his father, Hiroyuki, is 9 inches taller than him and played center in Japan for ten years. Tominaga wasn't most satisfied with his three-pointers in Santa Cruz, but with his ability to drive to the basket, which also made his jab step a weapon beyond the three-point line.

“I've been working on it a lot, especially on my right-handed stuff,” Tominaga said after the win. “I've been working on it a lot this summer, so it was good to see it pay off like this.”

What didn't show up in the score in that exciting second quarter was Tominaga's extremely accurate alley-oop attempt from beyond the halfway line that went unconverted and his dime shot from the middle of the box into the corner for a 3-point attempt that his teammate couldn't convert.

In the fourth quarter, Tominaga wowed the crowd by intercepting a throw-in and drawing a foul at the same time. Later, he made a three-pointer from the left corner with practically no space, creating just enough space for himself with his quick jab step.

The former Nebraska star scored points from behind the 3-point line, from mid-range and around the basket in his professional debut. Tominaga was comfortable with his offensive prowess and showed off his ability as a catch-and-shoot threat, off the dribble and in the scrum. He finished the game with 12 points off the bench in 17.5 minutes, hitting 4 of 6 field shots and 3 of 5 3-pointers for a plus-10 overall.

“It was fun,” said Tominaga. “The crowd was good too. It was fun to play in front of a home crowd.”

Next up is another game against BC Mega MIS on Friday night in Santa Cruz, and then G League United will board a plane to Singapore to compete in the 2024 FIBA Intercontinental Cup. Wherever Tominaga's path takes him, baskets and loud cheers are sure to follow, just as his idol has for nearly two decades from tiny Davidson College to the Bay Area to the global stage.

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