Wizards forward Rui Hachimura poses by the Tokyo Tower as the team sightsees prior to the NBA Japan Games 2022.
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 p.m. JST and Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. JST at Saitama Super Arena. The games will air live in Japan on NBA Rakuten, the NBA Rakuten YouTube channel and Rakuten TV, and in the U.S. on NBA TV and NBC Sports Washington.
In addition to the two games, NBA Japan Games Saturday Night 2022 Presented by Rakuten & Nissan, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. at 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 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 both the Warriors and the Wizards.
2 – The Warriors will become the second reigning NBA champion to play in Japan, after the then 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 NBA Japan Games Saturday Night 2022 Presented by Rakuten & Nissan.
6 – Warriors and Wizards training camp rosters feature a combined six international players from six countries:
- 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 ever 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 being 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 the NBA’s 15th and 16th games in Japan. The NBA’s first regular-season game played outside of the U.S. was held in Japan in 1990 and marked the first regular-season game played outside of North America by a U.S. sports league.
20 – Since 2010, more than 20 current and former NBA players have visited Japan to participate in fan events, lead basketball clinics for youth, 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 combined 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) have played a combined 22 games outside of North America heading into The NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten and Nissan.
30 – On Sept. 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 NBA’s presence in Japan dates back 34 years as NBA games and programming have been on-the-air in Japan since the 1988-89 season.
60 – On Sept. 28, the NBA hosted a Her Time to Play clinic at 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 provide around 150 school supply kits to youth from a local orphanage in Tokyo.
200 – The 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 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 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 across Facebook, Twitter, LINE and TikTok.
