The Indiana Pacers are heading into the 2025 offseason with a big question mark—Tyrese Haliburton is out indefinitely with an injury. That’s left the team scrambling to find someone who can step up at point guard. The Summer league gives Indiana a chance to find a perfect replacement. One name turning heads? Former Nebraska star Keisei Tominaga. Let’s take a deep dive into his background.
Who Is Keisei Tominaga?
Keisei Tominaga is a Japanese basketball phenom with one of the smoothest shooting strokes you’ll find anywhere in the game. Born on February 1, 2001, in Nagoya, Japan, the 6-foot-2, 178-pound guard is best known for his scoring flair and signature three-point range, which earned him the nickname “Japanese Steph Curry.” After a remarkable collegiate career with Nebraska, Tominaga now finds himself on the cusp of an NBA breakthrough. He spent his first professional season with the Indiana Mad Ants in the NBA G League, where he averaged 4.8 points in 7.8 minutes over 13 games, and is currently suiting up for the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Summer League. At just 24, he’s already represented Japan at the Olympics, competed in the FIBA World Cup, and captured hearts on both sides of the Pacific with his fearless, high-energy game.
Keisei Tominaga’s College Basketball Journey
Tominaga’s American basketball journey began in 2019 at Ranger College in Texas. He arrived with a jet-lagged body but an eager mind, hitting back-to-back deep threes during his first open gym session. As a freshman in 2019-20, he teamed up with Coach Billy Gillespie, firing at will 16.8 points per game on a scorching 55% shooting as Ranger rolled to a 28-3 record before COVID-19 shut things down. But that was just the beginning. The next year, under Coach Larry Brown, Tominaga upped his game even more. He averaged 16.3 points, earned second-team NJCAA All-America honors, and shot nearly 49% from deep — all while leading Ranger to the national semifinals in 2021. His big moments? A 39-point night with a school-record 11 threes and a 26-point show in the national semis. In two seasons, he piled up 50 wins, 21 double-figure scoring games in his sophomore year alone, and a bunch of clutch performances that turned heads. Ranger was his launchpad, and Tominaga made sure to leave his mark.
In his junior year at Nebraska (2022-23), Tominaga averaged 13.1 points per game, shooting 50% from the field and 40% from deep. He hit 66 threes that season, ranking eighth in the Big Ten, and earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors. In his senior season (2023-24), he started all 32 games and upped his scoring to 15.1 points per game while shooting 46.6% from the field and 37.6% from three. He was named Second-Team All-Big Ten by coaches. He led Nebraska to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade and wrapped his college career by winning the 2024 NCAA 3-Point Contest. In total, he averaged 11.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game across three seasons with the Cornhuskers. Keisei Tominaga spent three seasons lighting it up at Nebraska. Though his first year showed glimpses, it was in his second season that things truly took off. He went on a tear with five straight games scoring 20 or more points—the longest such streak by a Husker since Tyronn Lue did it back in 1998.
International Career with Japan
Before Keisei Tominaga lit up college arenas in the U.S., he was already on Japan’s radar—and by 2022, he made his debut with the Senior National Team, averaging 15.9 points per game and hitting 39% from deep across seven outings, including FIBA World Cup qualifiers. He dropped a jaw-dropping 33 points—eight threes!—against Australia in the Asia Cup quarterfinals. But that wasn’t his first big stage. At just 20, he was the youngest player in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics 3×3 tournament, finishing third in scoring (6.9 ppg), and shooting 74% from 1-point range and 36% from three, helping Japan reach the medal round. He also featured in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where he averaged 11.4 points per game and helped Japan qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Tominaga remains a central piece of Akatsuki Japan alongside Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe.
Even earlier, he was tearing it up for Japan’s U-18 team in the Asian Championships—averaging 19.3 ppg (fifth in the tournament), including three 20-point games and a 33-point gem against Bahrain. Go further back? He averaged 17.5 ppg with the U-16s (fourth overall), and as a high school senior, he flat-out dominated—39.8 points per game, capped by a 46-point explosion at the All-Japan Championship.
Playing Style and Comparison
Tominaga’s game is built on flair, emotion, and long-range brilliance. His quick release, off-ball movement, and fearless shot selection have earned him comparisons to Stephen Curry—a nickname he embraces by wearing No. 30 and signing with Curry’s Under Armour brand. In fact, Steph himself once gave him a shout-out. Tominaga was one of just six NCAA Division I players to shoot at least 50% from the field, 40% from beyond the arc, and 85% from the free-throw line while averaging double digits in scoring. His on-court charisma and ability to catch fire instantly made him an instant fan favorite, not just in Nebraska but also in the G League, where he was voted into the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s “Up Next Game.”
Family Background
Basketball is in Keisei Tominaga’s blood. His father, Hiroyuki Tominaga, was a 6-foot-11 center who played for Japan in the 1998 FIBA World Championship and spent a decade with Mitsubishi Electric’s pro team. His mother, Hitomi, also played in Japan’s industrial league for the same team. From the moment Keisei was born, his father had a plan: to raise a basketball star. Toy hoops decorated his bedroom, bathroom, and even the family car. Hiroyuki often brought young Keisei to the gym, where he would learn the joy of putting the ball in the basket. By third grade, he was draining threes on adult-sized rims. Today, Hiroyuki says simply, “All I can say is that I’m happy.”
Tominaga’s journey—from high school legend in Japan to March Madness star and now an NBA hopeful—is already inspiring a new generation of Asian hoopers. And for Keisei, this is just the beginning.
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