Slam Dunk is, to some, arguably the best basketball-themed manga — maybe even the best sports-themed manga ever.

One of its many fans is a young boy in Japan named Rui Hachimura.

Hachimura was born to a Japanese mother; his father hails from Benin, a French-speaking West African nation.

He grew up in Japan where he initially played baseball but soon transitioned to basketball.

He would play as a combo forward, filling in either the small or power forward roles.

He and his other basketball teammates were heavily influenced by the iconic manga/anime.

His coach, who was also a fan of the manga, pointed at him one day, and declared he would be "going to the NBA".

Hachimura was just 13 at the time.

Eight years later, this happened.

Drafted at the ninth pick by the Washington Wizards, Hachimura became the first Japanese player to be drafted in the first round.

Here is his post-draft interview.

https://streamable.com/gh9jx

Here is a bit of what he can do.

Cool.

Image from Gonzaga Facebook and Slam Dunk Wallpaper