Earlier this month, Japanese basketball sensation Keisei Tominaga signed with Curry Brand, becoming Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry’s first international signing to his Under Armour brand. Having modeled his game after Curry, this was a special opportunity for Tominaga, who spoke exclusively with Inside the Warriors on how this deal came together and what it means to him.

“I met him when he came to Japan,” Tominaga said. “He has a camp and I was competing there… After my college year I was trying to decide what brand I’m going to go with, and then they were talking about we could do it with Curry Brand, and I was like that’s pretty awesome. That’s my favorite player.”

In a press release from Curry Brand after the signing, Curry said, “We are excited to have Keisei join the Curry Brand family as we continue to extend our mission internationally. He has a dedication to the game and continues to be an inspiration for athletes across the globe. I love that we are growing this amazing roster of Curry Brand athletes, and Keisei along with our other athletes are continuing to create an impact and changing the game of basketball.”

Just 23 years old, Tominaga has grown up watching Curry’s NBA career, and could eventually join him in the league. Having gone through pre-draft workouts with different teams, Tominaga is looking forward to this week’s draft.

“I’m excited to see who is gonna get drafted,” Tominaga told Inside the Warriors. “I think I’m more focused on the Olympics right now, to be in the best position, so I’m focused on that stuff right now. But I’m also excited to see the players I’ve played against get drafted.”

Focused on playing for his country in the Olympics, Tominaga shared what it means to him to have Japan’s support throughout his career.

“It’s awesome,” Tominaga said. “There has been a lot of support from around here. We just had a friendly game and there were a lot of people wearing my jersey and cheering for us. It’s awesome. It’s great to have a lot of people supporting me.”