by Wizards forward Rui Hachimura poses next to Tokyo Tower as the team takes in the sights ahead of the 2022 NBA Japan Games.
TOKYO – The 2022 NBA Japan Games presented by Rakuten and Nissan will feature the NBA champions Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards playing two preseason games on Friday, September 30 at 7 p.m. JST and on Sunday, October 2 at 2 p.m. JST at Saitama Super Arena. The games will be broadcast live in Japan on NBA Rakuten, the NBA Rakuten YouTube channel and Rakuten TV, and in the US on NBA TV and NBC Sports Washington.
In addition to the two games, the 2022 NBA Japan Saturday Night Games Presented by Rakuten & Nissan will be held on Saturday, October 1 at 5 p.m. at the Saitama Super Arena, will celebrate the game of basketball and showcase the convergence of the NBA and popular culture for a unique fan experience.
Here’s a look at the facts and figures about the 2022 NBA Japan Games presented by Rakuten & Nissan:
1 – The 2022 NBA Japan Games presented by Rakuten and Nissan will mark the first trip to Japan for both the Warriors and Wizards.
2 – The Warriors will become the second The reigning NBA champion will play in Japan after the then-champion Toronto Raptors played in the 2019 NBA Japan Games.
3 – Three NBA legends – Richard Hamilton, Tim Hardaway and Dikembe Mutombo – will participate in the 2022 NBA Japan Saturday Night Games Presented by Rakuten & Nissan.
6 – Warriors and Wizards training camp rosters feature combined six international players from six Countries:
- Warriors (2): Jonathan Kuminga (DRC) and Andrew Wiggins (Canada).
- Wizards (4): Deni Avdija (Israel), Rui Hachimura (Japan), Kristaps Porziņģis (Latvia) and Makur Maker (South Sudan, ties to Australia).
9 – Rui Hachimura became the first Japanese player ever to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft when he was drafted ninth overall by the Wizards in 2019.
15 – This year’s NBA Japan games and surrounding events are supported by records 15 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 2022 NBA Japan Games presented by Rakuten and Nissan will be the NBA games 15u and 16u games in japan. The first NBA regular season game played outside the United States was held in Japan in 1990 and marked the first regular season game played outside of North America by a US sports league.
20 – Since 2010, more than 20 current and former NBA players have visited Japan to participate in fan events, conduct youth basketball clinics and continue to grow the game in the country, including Stephen Curry and Draymond Green of the Warriors and Bradley Beal of the Wizards.
22 – There are a total of 22 All-Star appearances among players participating in the 2022 NBA Japan Games Presented by Rakuten and Nissan: Beal (3), Curry (8), Green (4), Porziņģis (1), Klay Thompson (5 ) and Wiggins (1).
22 – Warriors (10) and Wizards (12) combined 22 games outside of North America heading into 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 goes back a long way 34 years as games and NBA programming has been on the air 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 provided 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 became the first black player to play in the NBA 75 years ago as a member of the New York Knicks in 1947.
150 – On October 1st, the Magi will collect and offer 150 school supply kits for youngsters from a local orphanage in Tokyo.
200 – NBA Japan 2022 Games presented by Rakuten and Nissan will reach fans in more than 200 countries and regions around the world on television, digital media and social media.
700 – Officially licensed NBA merchandise is available at more than 700 retail stores nationwide and through NBAStore.jp, the official NBA online store in Japan.
55,400 – More than 55,400 Fans attended the 2019 NBA Japan Games, which featured two sold-out crowds, and the first 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.
