Kawasaki Brave Thunders Announce Player Contract with Alex Kirk for 2026-27 Season

The Kawasaki Brave Thunders are pleased to announce that they have signed player Alex Kirk for the 2026-27 season.

Kirk has played nine seasons in the B.League, reaching the championship series seven times and winning the league title twice. After acquiring Japanese citizenship in 2024, he was selected for the Japanese national team, solidifying his status as one of Japan's premier naturalized players.

With his dominant physical presence, powerful rebounding, and high basketball IQ, Kirk is a pivotal interior force on both offense and defense. As the first naturalized player of comparable impact since Josh Hawkinson and Yuta Watanabe, his wealth of experience and clutch performance are expected to instill a winning culture within the team as they prepare for the launch of the B.PREMIER League.

Alex Kirk Player Profile

Jersey Number: 53 Position: Center Date of Birth: November 14, 1991 Nationality: United States (naturalized Japanese) Height/Weight: 211 cm / 114 kg

Career History: Los Alamos High School University of New Mexico Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) Canton Charge (D-League) Pistoia Basket 2000 (Serie A, Italy) Guangzhou Long-Lions (CBA, China) Anadolu Efes (BSL, Turkey) Alvark Tokyo Ryukyu Golden Kings

National Team Experience: • FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers (2025) • FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers (2026)

Awards and Honors: • FIBA Asia Champions Cup MVP (2019) • FIBA Asia Champions Cup All-Star Five (2018, 2019) • Emperor's Cup All-Star Five (2025) • B.League Regular Season All-Star Five (2019-20 Season)

Comment from Alex Kirk:

My family and I are very excited to be heading to Kawasaki next season. I hope to be a valuable member of this great organization and to open the premiere league with lots of success. Thank you for all the support going forward.

川崎ブレイブサンダースで来シーズンを迎えられることに家族共々とてもワクワクしています。この素晴らしい組織の一員として貢献して、B.PREMIERのスタートを大きな成功と共に迎えたいです。温かいサポートをよろしくお願いします！