OKINAWA, Japan – Former Washington State men's basketball standout Josh Hawkinson (2013-17) is representing Japan at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, an ongoing 32-team tournament across Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
 
The Shoreline, Wash., native earned his Japanese citizenship while playing professionally in the Japanese B.League. Hawkinson began his pro career with the second-division Toyotsu Fighting Eagles in 2017, before being signed by the top-flight Shinshu Brave Warriors in 2020.
 
The Japanese team recently completed the First Round of the FIBA World Cup, finishing third in Group E. Hawkinson leads the team with 23.3 points per game and 12.0 points per game. Following a loss to Germany, Japan beat Finland behind a 28-point, 19-rebound double-double. Japan would lose to Australia in the final round of group play, moving into the consolation classification games.
 
Hawkinson finished his WSU career with 40 double-doubles, third in school history, and grabbed the eighth-most rebounds in school history with 700. In his time on the Palouse, Hawkinson played 119 games and finished with a .523 field goal percentage, and averaged 11.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
 
Hawkinson and Japan return to action in Group O – placed with Cape Verde, Finland, and Venezuela. The Japanese side faces Venezuela, Thursday, Aug. 31 at 4:10 a.m. PT in Okinawa live on Courtside1891. The top two teams will advance to the classification semifinals.