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Bulls announcers go bananas after 5-foot-7 Yuki Kawamura wins a jump ball

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Jan 31, 2026 11:11 PM ET

Chicago Bulls guard Yuki Kawamura proved Saturday that height isn’t always might.

Kawamura got his first taste of NBA action this season in a weekend clash against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla. The Japanese-born player wasted little time making an impact, flying all over the floor and making hustle plays to help his team.

No sequence embodied Kawamura’s efforts more than his torment of Heat guard Kasparas Jakučionis midway through the fourth quarter. Yuki ferociously fought to force Kasparas into a jump ball, then somehow stole the tip away from the Lithuanian, who stood a foot taller than him.

Bulls announcers Adam Amin and Stacey King were absolutely loving the whole thing.

Yuki Kawamura forces the jumpball.
Yuki Kawamura wins the jumpball!

"HE WON THE TIP, HE WON THE TIP!"

Hilarious moment in South Beach pic.twitter.com/dE4MzAeRWx
— NBA (@NBA) February 1, 2026

The Bulls signed Kawamura to a two-way contract before the season began, but let him go after he suffered a leg injury. Chicago signed him to another two-way contract again earlier this month and let him take the floor for the first time Saturday against the Heat.

Kawamura made sure to repay the Bulls for their trust. He finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals across 11 minutes of action. The man hit a pair of threes and dropped a couple of dimes during crucial stretches for Chicago.