Warriors partner with Rakuten for lucrative jersey sponsorship deal

Tuesday, September 12, 2017
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The best team in the NBA has just inked the best, or at least the most lucrative deal in a new marketing platform. This season, NBA teams are allowed to sell ad patches on their jerseys.
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Warriors superstars Draymond Green and Andrew Iguodala showed off the new jerseys with the red Rakuten logo on them. The Japanese high-tech company is said to have paid $60 million for the three-year deal.

LIST: A look at the 14 NBA teams with sponsored jerseys

"As a huge sports and basketball fan, I'm thrilled to be a partner with the Warriors," said Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitan.

Rakuten is not well known in the U.S. but is a giant in Japan. The company is valued at more than $15 billion by Forbes.

Fourteen NBA teams have jersey deals going into the new season. USF Marketing Professor John Omeara says it's a reminder that sports is big business. "As a big business, these teams have plans for growth and also big expenses," he said. "Previously, we would see the team offset expenses like stadium deals, sponsorships -- this is just the next in line of an obvious progression."
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RELATED: Warriors sign jersey patch advertising deal with Rakuten



Warriors owner Peter Guber considers it more than a business agreement. "It's not a transaction, it's a relationship."

Ben Shapiro and his agency Pivot, have helped other teams including the Cleveland Cavaliers, with their logo negotiations. He says the Rakuten-Warriors partnership has value for both.

"Rakuten is hoping to become a household name in the U.S. For the Warriors it's strategic -- they're trying to expand and grow their brand globally, especially in Asia," Shapiro told ABC7 News.

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