Wizards forward Rui Hachimura poses at Tokyo Tower as the team sightsee ahead of the 2022 NBA Japan Games.
TOKYO — Presented by Rakuten and Nissan, the 2022 NBA Japan Games will feature reigning NBA champions Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards on Friday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. JST and Sunday, October 2 at 2:00 p.m JST will play two preseason games at the Saitama Super Arena. Games will be broadcast live on NBA Rakuten, the NBA Rakuten YouTube channel and Rakuten TV in Japan, and on NBA TV and NBC Sports Washington in the United States.
In addition to the two games, the NBA Japan Games Saturday Night 2022 Presented by Rakuten & Nissan, taking place on Saturday, October 1 at 5 p.m. at Saitama Super Arena, celebrates the game of basketball and showcases the convergence of the NBA and pop culture for a one-of-a-kind fan experience.
Below is a look at facts and figures for the 2022 NBA Japan Games Presented by Rakuten & Nissan:
1 – The NBA Japan Games 2022 presented by Rakuten and Nissan mark the First Journey to Japan for both the warriors and the sorcerers.
2 – The warriors will die second The reigning NBA champion will play in Japan after the then-reigning champion Toronto Raptors played at the 2019 NBA Japan Games.
3 – Three NBA legends – Richard Hamilton, Tim Hardaway and Dikembe Mutombo – will take part in the NBA Japan Games Saturday Night 2022 Presented by Rakuten & Nissan.
6 – Warriors and Wizards training camp rosters contain a combination six international players out six Countries:
- Warriors (2): Jonathan Kuminga (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Andrew Wiggins (Canada).
- Magicians (4): Deni Avdija (Israel), Rui Hachimura (Japan), Kristaps Porziņģis (Latvia) and Makur Maker (South Sudan; ties with Australia).
9 – Rui Hachimura became the first Japanese player ever selected in the first round of the NBA draft when he was drafted ninth overall by the Wizards in 2019.
fifteen – This year’s NBA Japan Games and related events are supported by a record fifteen Marketing partners: Rakuten, Nissan, 2K, American Express, Fellaz, Hennessy, Hokka, Instyle Group, NEC, Nike, Saitama Super Arena, SAP, ServiceNow, Sun Chlorella and Tissot.
16 – The NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten and Nissan will be the NBAs fifteenth and 16th Games in Japan. The NBA’s first regular-season game played outside of the United States was held in Japan in 1990 and was the first regular-season game played by a US sports league outside of North America.
20 – Since 2010 more than 20 Current and former NBA players have visited Japan to attend fan events, teach youth basketball classes and continue to grow the game in the country, including the Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and the Wizards’ Bradley Beal.
22 – There are a total of 22 All-Star appearances among the players participating in the NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten and Nissan: Beal (3), Curry (8), Green (4), Porziņģis (1), Klay Thompson (5) and Wiggins (1).
22 – The Warriors (10) and the Wizards (12) played a combination 22 Play outside of North America en route to the 2022 NBA Japan Games Presented by Rakuten and Nissan.
30 – On September 29, the NBA and Special Olympics Nippon hosted more than 30 Special Olympics athletes for an NBA Cares Special Olympics Clinic with Warriors players and coaches.
34 – The presence of the NBA in Japan dates back 34 Years in which NBA games and programs have been broadcast in Japan since the 1988-89 season.
60 – On September 28, the NBA hosted a Her Time to Play clinic at the Minato Sports Center, which was made available 60 young players with the opportunity to learn from former WNBA players Monica Rogers and Katrina Hibbert and Japan women’s national team player Naho Miyoshi.
75 – Japanese-American Wataru Misaka was the first black man to play in the NBA 75 years as a member of the New York Knicks in 1947.
150 – On October 1st, the Wizards pack and provide 150 School supplies for teenagers from a local Tokyo orphanage.
200 – Presented by Rakuten and Nissan, the NBA Japan Games 2022 will reach fans in more than 200 Countries and territories around the world on TV, digital media and social media.
700 – Officially licensed NBA merchandise is available at more than 700 retail stores across the country and through NBAStore.jp, the official online NBA store in Japan.
55,400 – More than 55,400 Fans attended the 2019 NBA Japan Games with two sold-out seats and the first ever NBA Fan Night at Saitama Super Arena.
1,600,000 – More than 1.6 million Fans from Japan follow the NBA’s global and local social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LINE and TikTok.
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