Wizards forward Rui Hachimura poses next to the Tokyo Tower as the team sights ahead of the 2022 NBA Japan Games.
TOKYO — The NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten and Nissan will feature the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards playing two preseason games on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 pm JST and Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 pm 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 NBA Japan Games Saturday Night 2022 Presented by Rakuten & Nissan, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 1 and 5 pm 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.
Below is a look at the facts and figures about The NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten & Nissan:
1 – The NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten and Nissan will mark the first trip to Japan for Warriors and Wizards.
2 – Warriors will be second the reigning NBA champion to play in Japan, after the reigning champion Toronto Raptors played in The NBA Japan Games 2019.
3 – Three NBA legends – Richard Hamilton, Tim Hardaway and Dikembe Mutombo – will participate in the NBA Japan Games Saturday Night 2022 Presented by Rakuten & Nissan.
6 – The Warriors and Wizards training camp rosters feature a combined six international players from six country:
- Warriors (2): Jonathan Kuminga (Democratic Republic of the Congo) 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 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 the surrounding events are supported by a record 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 NBA Japan Games 2022 presented by Rakuten and Nissan will be in the NBA 15th and 16th game in Japan. The first NBA regular-season game played outside the US was held in Japan in 1990 and marked the first regular-season game played outside 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, lead youth basketball clinics, and continue to grow the game in the country, including Warriors Stephen Curry and Draymond Green , and the Wizards’ Bradley Beal.
22 – There are a combined 22 All-Star appearances among 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) have played a combined game 22 games outside of North America leading up to The NBA Japan Games 2022 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 featuring Warriors players and coaches.
34 – The presence of the NBA in Japan began then 34 year as NBA games and programming have 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 female players with the opportunity to learn from former WNBA players Monica Rogers and Katrina Hibbert and Japanese Women’s National Team player Naho Miyoshi.
75 – Japanese American Wataru Misaka became the first person of color to play in the NBA 75 years ago as a member of the New York Knicks in 1947.
150 – On Oct. 1, the Wizards will pack and give around 150 school supply kits to young people from a local orphanage in Tokyo.
200 – NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten and Nissan will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories around the world on television, digital media and social media.
700 – Officially licensed NBA merchandise is available at over 700 retail stores nationwide and through NBAStore.jp, the NBA’s official online store in Japan.
55,400 – More than 55,400 fans attended The NBA Japan Games 2019, 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 localized social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LINE and TikTok.