| Chikara Tanaka 田中力 | |
| Number: | 2 |
| Position: | Point guard |
| Height M: | 1.86 |
| Weight Kg: | 88 |
| League: | B.League |
| Team: | Yokohama B-Corsairs |
| Birth Date: | 2002 5, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Aomori, Japan |
| Nationality: | Japanese |
| High School: |
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| College: | Bethel (2022-2023) |
| Years1: | 2023‐present |
| Team1: | Yokohama B-Corsairs |
is a Japanese basketball player for Yokohama B-Corsairs. He previously attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Tanaka was born in Aomori Prefecture to an American father and a Japanese mother. He briefly lived in Hawaiʻi as a child and was raised in Yokohama, Japan.[1] Tanaka grew up skateboarding but was encouraged by his friends to play basketball due to his height.[2]
Tanaka attended Sakamoto Junior High School in Yokosuka and played for the youth team of the Yokohama B-Corsairs. In 2017, he led his team to second place at the B.League Under-15 Championship.[3]
In 2018, Tanaka began attending IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, joining one of the best high school teams in the United States.[4]
In February 2019, he participated in the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp during 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.[5]
In 2020, Tanaka left IMG due to mental health issues off court and transferred to Kahuku High School in Kahuku, Hawaiʻi. After the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he traveled to Utah where he attended the All-Academic Basketball camp and received an offer from the University of Utah. However, Tanaka lost his roster spot due to the extension given by the NCAA Division I Council to all players for the pandemic-altered season.[6]
In 2021, he transferred to Veritas National Prep School in Santa Fe Springs, California,[7] where he continued his post-graduate.[8]
In January 2018, Tanaka led the Japanese under-16 team to the title of the Crystal Bohemia Cup in the Czech Republic, earning tournament most valuable player honors.[1] Later that year, he averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game for Japan at the FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship.[2] Tanaka was invited to training camp with the Japanese senior national team for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification stage.[9]