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The partnership maintains Rakuten’s status as the official jersey badge partner of the Golden State Warriors.

warriors-and-rakuten-renew-multi-year-partnership

Warriors and Rakuten Renew Multi-Year Partnership

Andy Fahey

The Golden State Warriors and Rakuten Group, Inc. have renewed their historic multi-year partnership, maintaining Rakuten’s status as official jersey badge partner of the Warriors. Over the last five seasons, the Warriors jersey badge has been a key contributor to the explosive growth of Rakuten’s U.S. consumer brand recognition derived from broadcast, digital and social media impressions. In the new extended term, Rakuten’s logo will continue to be featured as a badge on all Warriors uniforms as it has since 2017 when the Warriors welcomed Rakuten as their first-ever jersey badge partner.

“Since the inception of our momentous partnership, Rakuten has proven to be an incredible partner,” said Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer, Brandon Schneider. “Our relationship is steeped in mutual respect, aligned values and a strong drive to innovate. Over the last five years, we have reached historic milestones through enhanced player and fan experiences around the world. As we embark on the next phase of this partnership, we will continue to introduce and drive Warriors fans’ awareness of Rakuten to enhance their shopping experience. We look forward to providing more historic moments and engaging experiences for our fans worldwide.”

“The Warriors exemplify the best of innovation, teamwork and optimism, all of which align with our core values,” said Amit Patel, Chief Executive Officer at Rakuten Americas. “We are proud to partner with a world-class organization like the Warriors that has used unusual creativity and excellence to become one of the world’s most recognized brands. We are excited to continue our work together to grow, engage and reward our communities.”

The renewal will see expanded media and brand integrations, such as enhanced Rakuten signage in Chase Center and infusion in new digital, social, radio and live activations, including as presenting partner of game-day player arrivals on the ‘Rakuten Runway.’ Beyond Chase Center, Rakuten will be featured prominently in game broadcasts and at the Warriors Shop.

Rakuten will continue its involvement in Warriors jersey platforms and launches, with exclusive apparel collaborations and unrivaled shopping experiences. Through the duration of the partnership, fans who are Rakuten members will be eligible for a minimum of 10% Cash Back on purchases of Warriors gear at the Warriors Shop. Fans can also look forward to gameday items and Rakuten-exclusive promotions on specialty Warriors gear and apparel.

As part of their continuing relationship, a Rakuten executive will join the Board of the Warriors Community Foundation to collaborate on initiatives in support of educational equity in the San Francisco Bay Area. Rakuten previously partnered with the Foundation on projects such as refurbishing basketball courts at Oakland’s McClymonds High School and San Francisco’s City of Dreams.

warriors-and-rakuten-announce-partnership-renewal

Warriors and Rakuten Announce Partnership Renewal

Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors and Rakuten Sports have entered into a strategic partnership for business development and partner acquisition in key Asia Pacific markets. Under this agreement, Rakuten Sports – a Rakuten Group service focused on creating partnerships built on shared values with professional sports teams, athletes, brands and rights-holders around the world – will become the exclusive international partner in Japan, Taiwan and Singapore for the promotion and sale of Warriors partnership packages in these three markets. Rakuten Sports will support the franchise by developing partner-based deals in these key markets.

“Through this partnership with Rakuten Sports, we are excited to identify companies in key Asia Pacific markets that share our values, as well as our desire to grow as brand partners and have a positive impact on the global community,” said Warriors Executive Vice President, Mike Kitts. “We know that less than one percent of NBA fans worldwide have the opportunity to attend a game in person, but there is a very clear global appetite and fanbase for Golden State Warriors basketball. For us, driving engagement and interaction opportunities with those fans is paramount.”

“Since making history by unveiling our jersey partnership in 2017, the Warriors and Rakuten have worked together to delight fans and grow our brands and the sport of basketball as a whole,” said Vice President of Rakuten’s Sports Business, Rahul Kadavakolu. “The Warriors are a model for the sport of basketball today, and we are proud to team up again to bring in like-minded brands and partners for the Warriors in Asia.”

The Warriors will visit Japan this fall for the NBA Japan Games 2022, presented by Rakuten to play two preseason games against the Washington Wizards at Saitama Super Arena.

This partnership with the Warriors marks a new initiative for Rakuten in its commitment to empowering the world of professional sport. In Japan, Rakuten operates the professional baseball team Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and professional J.League soccer club Vissel Kobe, and also serves as the title sponsor for the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships. Rakuten has also partnered with the NBA and the legendary soccer club FC Barcelona, and is engaged in a variety of initiatives to grow the professional sport industry worldwide.

As part of its mission to empower and connect people through sport, Rakuten will continue to support the sports industry through innovative partnerships that contribute to the further development of the world of sports.

The Golden State Warriors, currently playing in their 76th season, are a charter member of the National Basketball Association. Founded in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors, the team moved to the West Coast in 1962 and spent nine seasons as the San Francisco Warriors before moving across the Bay to Oakland in 1971 and becoming the Golden State Warriors. In 2019, the Warriors returned to San Francisco to play at Chase Center, a privately financed, state-of-the-art 18,064-seat arena in the Mission Bay neighborhood. The team’s storied history includes six NBA Championships, 11 NBA Finals appearances, an NBA-record 73-win season, eight members of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, and 27 members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. For more information on the Golden State Warriors, please visit warriors.com.

Based in Singapore, Rakuten Sports is a Rakuten Group service that focuses on creating partnerships built on shared values with professional sports teams, athletes, brands and rights-holders. For more information visit https://biz.sports.rakuten.net/.

Rakuten Group, Inc. (TSE: 4755) is a global leader in internet services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications to approximately 1.6 billion members around the world. The Rakuten Group has over 28,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions. For more information visit https://global.rakuten.com/corp/.

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