The Brisbane Bullets have officially signed Makoto Hiejima making him the first ever Japanese international NBL player.

During the 2019 World Cup Qualifiers, the 28-year-old shooting guard played an integral role in delivering the Boomers their first loss in over two years. Hiejima scored 6 points, shooting 37.5% as well as 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

The 6’3” shooting guard has averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in Japans six FIBA World Cup qualifying games so far. As a result, he is currently leading Japan in four different categories, scoring, field-goal percentage, assists and steals as they aim to reach the World Cup.

Hiejima is coming off a strong season for the Aisin Seahorses Mikawa in Japan’s B.League, the country’s premier basketball league, having earnt MVP honors with averages of 12.9 points, 4.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 55 games. He was awarded Rookie of the Year in 2014 and helped the Aisin Seahorses win a Japanese NBL Championship in 2015.

Makoto will be classified as a local player under the NBL’s Asian player rule. This rule gives teams the option to sign a player born in a country forming part of Asia or Oceania, as defined by FIBA.

Andrej Lemanis was impressed with Hiejima’s commitment in making the move to the NBL to improve his game. Hiejima plans to arrive in Brisbane prior to the commencement of pre-season training in early August. This signing leaves one remaining roster position open for the Bullets, which is planned to be filled with a small forward import.