7. Yuta Tabuse
Born: October 5, 1980, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
NBA career: Phoenix Suns
Yuta Tabuse first came to the US in 2003. He spent a year playing in the NBA and he was signed by Suns in 2004. Unfortunately, he was waived after just two months. Now, this is the interesting part – instead of going back to Japan to wreck chaos in J league, he decided he wanted another shot at playing in the NBA. He even refused to play for Japan national team so he could fully devote himself to his goal. Tabuse spent the next 4 years playing summer leagues, D leagues and ABA before deciding in 2008 that it wasn’t going to happen and going back home. That kind of dedication ensured him the place on our list.
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