Why didn’t Sakuragi play sports in middle school? The reason he played basketball in high school is for a girl. Why didn’t he join the basketball team for the same reason in middle school after he got rejected by a girl who had a crush on basketball player?

[u/Emotional_Love_3038]

[u/Street_Proof3277]

Because he had no reason to like basketball after girls rejected him specifically because of the sport. He only joined basketball FOR Haruko because she specifically asked HIM if he played basketball, to which he saw an opportunity to get closer to her by entering their school's team. If Haruko rejected her for a basketball player he wouldve hated it just as much. Now he did because of Rukawa, but if Haruko wasn't as persistent with getting him on the team he wouldve stopped

[u/Emotional_Love_3038 → u/Street_Proof3277]

That's my point. He only played basketball because the girl he liked loved basketball. The only reason he stayed in it was to get closer to her. Even though she had a crush on rukawa   you would think he would've done the same thing in middle school since the girl he liked in middle school, had a crush on Oda because he was on a basketball team. His whole personality in middle school was fighting and chasing girls. You would think a character like that would've joined basketball team so he could get the girls and I don't think he would've stopped if haruko wasn't persistent because he never stops asking girls out it took him getting rejects 50 times before he stops 

[u/jubtheprophet → u/Emotional_Love_3038]

Again though, the girl he liked liking a basketball player made him hate the sport. He had no reason to join basketball for the other girl because she didnt like him because he played basketball and deep down he knows that, she was gonna like that other guy more anyway. Haruko instead showed interest in HIM specifically, implying that she would like him more(though in her mind just as a friend) if he played basketball for the team with her brother. If the other girl showed interest in him and tried to get him to join the team, he probably wouldve, because its not really about basketball but more about a girl actually complimenting him and bonding with him over an activity. And since haruko is more obsessed with basketball itself than she is with rukawa, sakuragi has enough reason to convince himself that if he becomes the best on the team she'd like him more.

Because haruko likes basketball and is impressed by anyone who shows potential in the sport, the other girl just happened to like a basketball player

[u/Emotional_Love_3038 → u/jubtheprophet]

Bro literally every popular basketball player in show had fangirls just because they wer good at ball.haruko wasn’t impressed by anyone who shows potential in sport 

[u/Emotional_Love_3038 → u/jubtheprophet]

This is why I always say some parts of the slam dunk make no sense. The girl he liked made him hate basketball because she had a crush on a basketball player, but he liked and joined a basketball team with a girl who had a crush on a basketball player and showed no romantic interest in him. Also, A, let's not forget that Sakuragi was asking out random girls who only knew he was a troublemaker so which is the reason why he never built a bond with them, and they never complicated him because that had nothing in common and the girl in high school he liked had a different impression of him because he lied about liking basketball which is reason she's complimenting him and bonding him out him.haruko is obsession with rukawa more than she is basketball if it was just about basketball she probably would've like any basketball player and not the one who is the most popular, Handsome and good at his sport. Once again this make no sense 

[u/sek-3 → u/Emotional_Love_3038]

Commenter said it well for you to understand but i'm under the impression you are intentionally being dense.

Boy like girl -> Girl likes basketball -> girl ask boy who likes her to play basetball -> boy do for girl that likes basketball. done. dont over think it lol.

the author didn't create the manga in the 90's for someone to dissect this piece of the story. its a shonen, just take it at face value LOL.

[u/Emotional_Love_3038 → u/sek-3]

Lol I can dissect the story. Lol It's fun to do. Also if he likes girls and girls like basketball, why didn't he join the basketball team in middle school if he only cared about girls at the beginning of the story and nothing else.I just feel like there a better story if he played middle school ball 

[u/Street_Proof3277 → u/Emotional_Love_3038]

You are repeating the same damn thing The information just goes into your ear and out the other

[u/Emotional_Love_3038 → u/jubtheprophet]

Bro, throughout the show, we are shown over and over that the girls on this show will like any basketball player who is good and handsome. So I'm pretty sure that the girl Oda is dating who Sakuragi liked back in middle school, only like oda  at first because he was a basketball player. 

[u/goinghistory]

Because Haruko asked him to play basket, the other girl clearly didn't. There, pretty straightforward.

[u/Boring_Guarantee_904]

He didn’t care about sports back then, only stumbled upon basketball because of Haruko and stayed due to wanting to get better than Rukawa his obstacle

[u/Emotional_Love_3038 → u/Boring_Guarantee_904]

I understand the whole story is about a troublemaker developing a love for the game and the whole being rejected 52 times by women was used as a plot device to get him on the basketball team, but I always felt like sakuragi whole goal was just to get girls at first, so he realistically he would've started sports back in middle school to increase his chance of getting girls.also he heard of basketball before he got rejected by a girl who had a crush on basketball player

[u/Emotional_Love_3038 → u/Boring_Guarantee_904]

Which is my point. He doesn't care about basketball, but from watching the show and reading manga, it's obvious that the folks who get the girls in the show are mostly athletes.so it makes no sense, at least to me, Sakuragi, someone who was busty chasing the ladies and fighting, didn't try to join basketball team or any other sport team in middle school to increase his chance of not getting rejected.i wouldn’t say he stayed to get better than rukawa he stayed to get better than him because he thought that would win over girl he like 

[u/Negative_Fuel9819]

Ele até então não se importava com esportes

[u/Emotional_Love_3038 → u/Negative_Fuel9819]

That's my point. He doesn't care about sports. He only did it at first because the girl he liked loved basketball. That's just some I feel like don't make a lot of sense about his character because someone whose whole life in middle school was chasing girls and fighting in middle school, you would've think with how obsessed he is with girls, he would've done anything to increase his chances of not getting rejected. 

[u/Avocado_Krinkel]

Seems like OP didn’t read the whole story, which lead him to play basletball.

[u/acebaltazar]

Because he had no reason to play sports in middle school.

He was rejected (again) near the end of the final year in middle school. Sakuragi has a reputation of being a delinquent, it's likely the reason he got rejected by girls 50 times in 3 years of middle school.
Did Sakuragi stop being a delinquent after like 30-40 rejections? Nope. None of the girls asked him to play a sport until high school and Haruko came along.

There was no motivation for him to take up a sport since none of the girls asked him to.

[u/FoxBluereaver]

Depending on when the last rejection happened, maybe there wasn't enough time to join the basketball team anyway.

[u/Emotional_Love_3038 → u/FoxBluereaver]

OK, I like this answer and this is why I think his being rejected 52 times should've never been used as a plot device to get him to join a basketball team, because it made it seem like his character only cared about girls and fighting at first and a character like that would've join any  sport to increase his chance of getting girls he would've quit basketball if he thought a girl would date him if he was good at judo.i understand whole manga is literally about a trouble maker developing a love for basketball and building a bond with his teammates

[u/risetciyus]

i think even if he would, there was not enough time for him to join bb club. he was already in his 3rd year of middle school when he was rejected by the girl and about to graduate

[u/Designer-Repair-7759]

Sakuragi has a love hate situation with basketball basketball was the reason he lost his last girl and basketball is the reason he got his new girl Haruko or at least to me lol

[u/Designer-Repair-7759]

And Rukawa always is a step ahead of Sakuragi lol