Rakuten also wants to integrate its brand into the North American and European marketsNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The NBA is "seeing the league start to gain popularity" in Japan, and while Wizards rookie F Rui Hachimura has become a "big draw, the league's partnership with Japanese e-commerce titan Rakuten is what fuels that engine" of growth, according to Jared Weiss of THE ATHLETIC. Rakuten in '17 "made its first real foray into the NBA with a deal for a sponsorship patch" with the Warriors, then "leveraged that into an all-encompassing deal as the NBA's broadcaster and merchandise retailer in Japan." Rakuten, which also has a deal with FC Barcelona, "considers sports part of its DNA." At Rakuten's Crimson House Tokyo HQ, one is "greeted by life-sized cutouts" of Warriors G Steph Curry, F Draymond Green and Nets F Kevin Durant. While the NBA and Rakuten "want to see the sport's infrastructure strengthen in Japan, Rakuten also has its eyes on integrating into the North American and European markets." In the U.S., it recently "rebranded e-commerce platform eBates to Rakuten, and it wants to raise awareness among potential customers." Sponsoring a franchise like the Warriors "helps make that introduction." Rakuten hopes Tuesday and Thursday's preseason Rockets-Raptors games in Tokyo helped to "bring potential customers in Japan to its platform" (THEATHLETIC.com, 10/10).
