Iowa’s Izaya Fullard proud of family history to Yoko Ono and John Lennon

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) - Iowa senior first baseman Izaya Fullard is known for a lot of things such as hitting home runs or that his dad, Kenny Fullard, is a former Iowa basketball player. However, his last name carries the most meaning; his full last name is Ono-Fullard, meaning his great aunt is Yoko Ono, which also means his great uncle is John Lennon.

He’s never been afraid to share his family’s history, but for him personally, it wasn’t until he got older when he truly realized the significance.

“We always had Believe and Imagine, just stuff like that around the house,” Fullard said. “I never knew what it meant until I got to high school and my parents talked to me about Yoko and John. I was like, wow, I’m really related to someone that’s famous.”

Izaya has learned about his family through stories from his mom, Reiko, or his cousin, Sean Lennon, the son of John Lennon. The more he learns, the more he’s learned to appreciate his Japanese heritage.

“My mom tried to get me to learn Japanese at a young age, and I was too stubborn; I didn’t want to do it,” Fullard said. “Just as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to learn that that’s part of me, that’s who I am.”

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