The #NBAJapanGames have come to an end and we saw some amazing plays during the @warriors vs. @WashWizards Game 2🔥.
— Rakuten Sports (@RakutenSports) October 2, 2022
Over at the recently unveiled "Golden State Warriors x Rakuten x Ikesei Basketball Court" in Tokyo, local basketball fans were able to get in on the action too🏀! pic.twitter.com/PWN2KhcjnT
The Warriors' trip to Japan last week “was as much about business as basketball,” according to Madeline Kenney of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. Warriors President COO & President Brandon Schneider said that the Warriors’ lucrative corporate partnership with Rakuten, a major Japanese e-commerce and online retailer, was a “’huge part of why’ they traveled 20 hours (round trip) and interrupted normal preseason preparations.” Rakuten CEO Amit Patel said that his company’s brand awareness “has grown exponentially from almost nothing since it signed a reported $60 million deal in 2017 to be the Warriors’ jersey-badge sponsor.” Warriors EVP/Partnership Mike Kitts said that the partnership with Rakuten “has been a big win for the team, too.” Kitts: “They’ve helped us in Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand… it goes beyond just Japan.” In fact, the partnership “has been so successful that the Warriors and Rakuten signed a multi-year extension in May.” Kenney noted the terms of the deal "have not yet been made public" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 10/5).
