LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 13: Yuki Kawamura #8 of the Indiana Pacers dribbles the ball against Tyreke Key #11 of the Toronto Raptors during the second half of a 2026 NBA Summer League game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 13, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
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LAS VEGAS – While the Indiana Pacers were taking on the Philadelphia 76ers in summer league action, fans were entertained by more than just the basketball. On the sidelines, several members of the Pacers NBA roster were celebrating the performance of one particular summer league talent.
It was Yuki Yawamura, a summer Pacers guard with two years of NBA experience – one with the Memphis Grizzlies, the other with the Chicago Bulls. Kawamura forced a backcourt violation with pesky defense, tossed some dazzling passes, and hit a pull up three all within one short stretch of play.
That, of course, was entertaining. On the sidelines, there was another show entirely – the celebrations of Jay Huff, Obi Toppin, Pascal Siakam, and several other Pacers players all watching Kawamura do his thing.
“Just a dynamic player. Really, really fast,” Pacers summer league head coach Bryce Taylor said of Kawamura. “Very clever, very smart with the basketball.”
Kawamura draws a smile out of anyone who is asked about him. Rienk Mast, a summer league standout for the Pacers, was giving earnest answers during a postgame press conference after a battle with the summer version of the Toronto Raptors until he was asked about Kawamura.
Mast lit up. It was his biggest smile since the game ended. Those two linked up during many pick-and-rolls throughout summer league, using their brief time together to build chemistry.
“He’s spectacular. He’s so fun,” Mast, who has reportedly agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pacers, said. “The way he plays offense, it’s kind of magic sometimes.”
Mast described Kawamura as a good guy who plays basketball the right way. His personality and unique playstyle are both alluring. Everyone enjoyed hitting the court with him – and Pacers two-way contract guard Braden Smith loved going against him in practice settings.
Those traits make Kawamura a great teammate on the court. His passing ability connects his dazzling ball handling with his teammates’ play finishing. And his effort is contagious, though it is a requirement for someone of his height.
Part of what makes Kawamura’s feats so impressive to observe is that height – he sits at just five-foot-seven-inches, according to Basketball Reference. That makes him the league’s shortest active player, and only four players shorter than 5’7 have ever played in the NBA.
“Yuki’s really fun to play with. Like Braden, he works his tail off,” Pacers forward Jalen Slawson said. “He’s undersized, and he just doesn’t care.”
And yet there he is, on the court in Las Vegas stealing the show. Kawamura averaged 8.2 points and 4.8 assists per game for the Pacers across five appearances. He battled on defense, too, but his efficiency was lacking.
Still, he popped once again with his passing and steady handedness. And that’s why he’ll be on an NBA roster for training camp in 2026, signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the LA Clippers earlier this month.
Indiana Pacers guard Yuki Kawamura runs down the court against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half of an NBA Summer League basketball game, Friday, July 10, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
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What does Kawamura bring to the Clippers?
In LA, Kawamura will join fellow Japanese NBA player Rui Hachimura, who signed with the Clippers earlier in the offseason. By nature of his Exhibit 10 deal, it will be tough for Kawamura to make the Clippers regular season roster. They have a full complement of standard contract players and have signed three talents to two-way deals already.
But Kawamura will get another chance to prove himself and more opportunities to help a team win. That’s all he wants.
“I just want to contribute to winning for the team,” Kawamura said after a Pacers summer league loss to the Raptors. He later noted his belief that he played terribly in the game, often proving to be his biggest critic.
“I just want to win. I just want to play the right way,” he added later. “I just want to contribute to the team.”
Even though Kawamura has 40 games of NBA experience under his belt, he still admits that he’s learning how to succeed against taller players. It’s a never-ending challenge for the 25-year old – on one play, he will make a terrific pass to set up points for his team. On the next, his shot attempt will be easily blocked.
One thing he isn’t learning is leadership. Thanks to his multiple years of pro experience, he was an important voice for the Pacers during summer league play. As they transitioned from one head coach to another just before heading to Las Vegas, Kawamura’s ability to provide some direction was important.
He had eight points and four assists in the Pacers first summer league game, helping the team take down the Cleveland Cavaliers. Taylor had been the head coach of that group for about two days at the time.
“I just want to meet expectations from them,” Kawamura said of his teammates. “It’s amazing. They’re so nice. They’re great teammates. I love playing with them.”
Smith believes that Kawamura impacted winning throughout summer league, and it’s one of the traits he hoped to take from the older point guard. One other thing Smith picked up? A little bit of Japanese. He learned how to say “good morning,” from Kawamura. Slawson picked up a bit of the language too.
In two NBA seasons, Kawamura has averaged 2.5 points and 1.7 assists per game. His G League assist numbers reached nearly 11 per game this past season – his passing is elite, and it becomes contagious.
So is his spirit. That’s why Kawamura’s teammates love him and why members of the Pacers were going crazy watching him play. “Everyone feeds off that type of energy,” Taylor said. The Clippers will now try to turn that energy into wins, as Kawamura prefers.
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