How Aussie Hoops Is Vital For Asia Basketball
February 27, 2025
Yudai Baba
- Nationality: JAP
- Date of Birth: 7/11/95
- Place of Birth: Toyama (Japan)
- Position: G/F
- Height (CM): 196
- Weight (KG): 90
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: University of Tsukuba (Japan)
- NBL DEBUT: 15/01/21
- AGE AT DEBUT: 25
- LAST NBL GAME: 2/05/22
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: Melbourne 2021-22
- Championships: 1
- Melbourne (2021)
BIO: Yudai Baba was born in Toyama (Japan).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Yudai Baba made his NBL debut with the Melbourne United at 25 years of age. He scored 10 points in his first game.
Melbourne United began the season with a complete rehaul of its roster. The team chose not to re-sign imports Casper Ware and Josh Boone, released Daniel Trist and lost young forward Craig Moller when he signed with Sydney as a free agent.
United then signed Jo Lual-Acuil, Shea Ili (who played under Dean Vickerman during his time at the Breakers) and Jack Purchase as the team’s development player. Vickerman then added import duo Melo Trimble from Cairns and Shawn Long via New Zealand who were friends, having played together for the USA National Team. Rounded out the squad David Barlow, Alex Pledger, Tohi Smith-Milner and Casey Prather re-signed with the club.
Casey Prather would agree to a two-year deal, seeing the import forward return to the team for a second stint but after Prather missed the first seven games of the season due to injury, question marks were raised upon the signing. Once he returned to the court he could only muster averages of 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds, far below his career numbers. He underwent another knee clean-out shortly after and managed to play in six of the next eight games before being ruled out for the rest of the season due to a right hamstring tear. United would sign former NBA talent Stanton Kidd as his injury replacement.
This resulted in United losing four of their first five games of the season and with reports of a rift between players, a coach under pressure and frustrated supporters, the club looked completely rattled. By late-November however, United sat third on the ladder (7-4) behind six consecutive wins were the highest scoring team in the competition (99.7 points-per-game). Melo Trimble (19.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals) would lead United in scoring, alongside Long (18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks) and Captain Chris Goulding (17.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists).
Baba finished the season averaging 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while Melbourne recovered from a poor start to the season and finished in fourth place (15-13).
Melbourne would then face Sydney in the semifinals where despite
Long (23 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 block) controlling the inside and a huge scoring effort by Trimble (34 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals) coming off the bench, United would lose game one (80-86) in Sydney. Xavier Cooks (21 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists) and Jae’Sean Tate (19 points and 5 rebounds) doing most of the damage for the Kings.
They returned to Melbourne for game two where United would even the series, thanks to a combined effort from their import trio, with Long (26 points and 11 rebounds), Trimble (21 points and 2 steals) and Kidd (18 points and 4 rebounds) all delivering when it counted. The damage was done during the second quarter, where United outscored the Kings 32-7, a lead that allowed them to win by 45 points at full time (125-80). Tate (18 points and 6 rebounds) led Sydney in scoring. The series decider was played at Qudos Bank Arena, in a game that came down to the final seconds. Goulding (19 points and 3 assists) led Melbourne in scoring, but Tate (20 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) and the Kings were able to come away with a two point win, and proceed to the Grand Final, ending United’s season.
2021/22
After winning the 2021 championship, Melbourne lost its leading scorer Jock Landale to a NBA opportunity with San Antonio and starting point guard Mitch McCarron, who became the league’s highest paid local player as a result of signing a three-year deal with Adelaide. United then quickly turned their attention to rebuilding the roster for the NBL22 season, immediately re-signing Lual Acuil, David Barlow and Shea Ili, received a boost from the return of Jack White, who missed the second half of last season to a ACL injury, and added free agents Brad Newley (via Sydney) and Dion Prewster, who had just won the NZNBL MVP award. Next, United secured the biggest free agent of the year, inking NBA champion Matthew Dellavedova to a three-year deal. Lastly, Caleb Agada, who had just played for Nigeria at the Olympics was replaced import Scotty Hopson and talented young German Ariel Hukporti was added to the roster under the Next Stars program.
Outside of a 0-2 start, United were dominant all season, winning their next three games to end December and then losing only one game (5-1) in January while playing all of their games on the road.
In January 2022, Goulding reached 5,000 NBL points, becoming just the second active player to reach the milestone behind Daniel Johnson (Adelaide).
In February, United would win four of their five games and with a record of 12-4 sit atop of the NBL ladder where they would stay for the remainder of the season. Jo Lual Acuil (16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks) would lead the team in scoring and earn selection to the All-NBL First team while Chris Goulding (15.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) was named to the All-NBL Second Team. The impact of Shea Ili (8.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals) off the bench was also recognised around the league with him winning the Sixth Man of the Year award. Baba would sign mid-season as an injury replacement player and average 3.9 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.7 assists to help United finish the year in first place (20-8).
Melbourne would face Tasmania who qualified for the playoffs in their inaugural NBL season. After United won the opening matchup (74-63), the JackJumpers bounced back in their home semi-final game to even the series 1-1. Heading into the deciding game three, captain Goulding was deemed unfit to play, which allowed Tasmania to take clamp down on the defensive end. Without Goulding, United couldn’t buy a basket from outside, with Dellavedova (1-7), Agada (0-7), White (0-5) and Baba (0-2) shot a combined 1-21 from beyond the arc. Overall, United went 6-29 (20 per cent) from three, compared to the JackJumpers 10-32 (31 per cent). Still, United were able to keep it close, and it was only in the final moments that Tasmania secured the victory (76-73), ending Melbourne’s playoff run and making history by reaching a Grand Final in their debut season…
Yudai Baba played two seasons the Melbourne United. He averaged 6.9 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 46 NBL games.
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 26 | Melbourne | 20-8 (1) | 10 | 181.0 | 39 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 46 | 30% | 4 | 25 | 16% | 7 | 8 | 88% | 39% | 35% | 8 |
| 2020-21 | 25 | Melbourne | 28-8 (1) | 36 | 707.0 | 279 | 80 | 44 | 17 | 63 | 31 | 9 | 37 | 57 | 98 | 219 | 45% | 30 | 91 | 33% | 53 | 62 | 85% | 56% | 52% | 17 | Totals | 46 | 888 | 318 | 96 | 52 | 21 | 75 | 35 | 11 | 48 | 70 | 112 | 265 | 42.3% | 34 | 116 | 29.3% | 60 | 70 | 85.7% | 54% | 49% | 17 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 26 | Melbourne | 20-8 (1) | 10 | 18.1 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 4.6 | 30% | 0.4 | 2.5 | 16% | 0.7 | 0.8 | 88% | 39% | 35% | 8 |
| 2020-21 | 25 | Melbourne | 28-8 (1) | 36 | 19.6 | 7.8 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 6.1 | 45% | 0.8 | 2.5 | 33% | 1.5 | 1.7 | 85% | 56% | 52% | 17 | Total | 46 | 19.3 | 6.9 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 5.8 | 42.3% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 29.3% | 0.7 | 2.5 | 85.7% | 54% | 49% | 17 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 17 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
|---|
FIBA EXPERIENCE
Baba was a part of Japans national team for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Japan would fail to win a game (0-5) and finish the tournament ranked 31st out of 32 teams.
Baba would again represent Japan at the 2020 Olympic Games (Japan) where the team would again fail to win a game (0-3) and finish the tournament in eleventh place.
Baba was a part of the Japanese national team that competed at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and finished in 19th place (3-2 record).
FIBA TOTAL STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 28 | 5 | 109 | 32 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 27 | 51.9% | 3 | 10 | 30.0% | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| 2020 | 25 | 3 | 84 | 29 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 22 | 54.5% | 2 | 6 | 33.3% | 3 | 4 | 75.0% |
| 2019 | 24 | 5 | 128 | 46 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 45 | 37.8% | 4 | 13 | 30.8% | 8 | 13 | 61.5% | Total | 17 | 406 | 107 | 43 | 38 | 12 | 31 | 20 | 12 | 22 | 23 | 53 | 118 | 45% | 13 | 39 | 33% | 16 | 24 | 67% |
FIBA PER GAME STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 28 | 5 | 21.8 | 6.4 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 5.4 | 51.9% | 0.6 | 2.0 | 30.0% | 0.2 | 0.2 | 100.0% |
| 2020 | 25 | 3 | 28.0 | 9.7 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 7.3 | 54.5% | 0.7 | 2.0 | 33.3% | 1.0 | 1.3 | 75.0% |
| 2019 | 24 | 5 | 25.6 | 9.2 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 9.0 | 37.8% | 0.8 | 2.6 | 30.8% | 1.6 | 2.6 | 61.5% | Total | 17 | 23.9 | 6.3 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 6.9 | 45% | 0.8 | 2.3 | 33% | 0.9 | 1.4 | 67% |
| Season | Team | PTS | AST | STL | BLK | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 55% | 61% | 72% | 66% | ||||||
| 2 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ||||||
| Total | 112 | 265 | 42.3% | 34 | 116 | 29.3% |
NBA TOTAL STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | TEAM | POS | GP | GS | MINS | PTS | TRB | AST | ORB | DRB | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 26 | Melbourne | 20-8 (1) | 10 | 181.0 | 39 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 46 | 30% | 4 | 25 | 16% | 7 | 8 | 88% | 39% | 35% | 8 |
| 2020-21 | 25 | Melbourne | 28-8 (1) | 36 | 707.0 | 279 | 80 | 44 | 17 | 63 | 31 | 9 | 37 | 57 | 98 | 219 | 45% | 30 | 91 | 33% | 53 | 62 | 85% | 56% | 52% | 17 | Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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