Japanese American Basketball

Directed by Mitchell Matsumura

VC Presents
USA
Documentary
English
Subtitled
2026
6 mins
World premiere

This is the story of Japanese American youth basketball. Why and who started this tradition going back over 100 years. By the 1970s Japanese American basketball became a cultural phenomenon. It’s estimated that over 20,000 Japanese American kids compete annually in California alone. Today It’s a rite of passage where some families have played five generations.