Rakuten Renews Long-Term Golden State Warriors Partnership 

Major Japanese e-tailer Rakuten has renewed its long-term partnership with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. 

It has signed a new multi-year deal that will expand their collaboration across fan engagement, community impact and women’s sports.

The renewed partnership is poised to cover the Warriors, the WNBA franchise Golden State Valkyries,  and the NBA G League affiliate Santa Cruz Warriors, marking the evolution of a collaboration which began in 2017. 

The new agreement signals the end of Rakuten’s tenure as the Warriors’ jersey patch sponsor, however, reflects a much more expansive role focusing on delivering premium fan experiences, community initiatives and purpose-driven programmes across the Bay Area.

Over the past nine years, Rakuten’s collaboration has generated over US$12m in backing educational equity programmes and community projects through the Golden State Community Foundation. It will also continue backing the organisation’s Women’s Empowerment Month initiatives, strengthening a shared commitment to inclusion and social impact.

Mike Kitts, Chief Commercial Officer of Golden State, said, “When we first began our relationship with Rakuten in 2017, we set out to redefine what a sports partnership could look like. What we’ve accomplished together since then mirrors the success our franchise has seen on and off the court, with Rakuten at the forefront of many of the Warriors’ most iconic moments and imaginative programming over the last nine years. Their commitment to doubling down on an already substantial investment in our community, and in fans of both the Warriors and Valkyries, will leave a lasting impact in the Bay Area and beyond.”

Amit Patel, CEO of Rakuten Rewards and Rakuten International, added, “The best partnerships evolve with purpose.Nine years ago, our partnership with the Golden State Warriors was built on shared values of empowering our communities and the drive to innovate — it’s a legacy that we’re deeply proud of. In this next chapter, we’re building on that foundation to deepen our connection with fans and the local community. We want to celebrate the people who show up, who are loyal, and who live and breathe this team with access to rewarding experiences you simply can’t get anywhere else.”

Under the deal, Rakuten members will continue to receive exclusive benefits, including cashback offers on Warriors merchandise, limited-edition product releases and access to VIP experiences. The company will also remain the presenting partner of “Rakuten Arrivals,” a popular digital content series featuring player arrivals on game days.

The expanded partnership also strengthens Rakuten’s presence within the Golden State Valkyries ecosystem through dedicated content initiatives, in-arena activations, merchandise collaborations and community programming, highlighting the rising commercial appeal of women’s professional basketball.

According to ASN data, Rakuten (46.3%, ~US$110m) is by far the largest spender for the retailer/e-commerce category in the Asian sponsorship market since Q323, with a quarterly average investment of US$10m+ during this period. After a rather quiet period between Q325 and Q126, the forecast for Q226 is poised to hit almost US$10.5m, a figure closer to the usual average. Besides its blockbuster deal worth US$20m per year with the Golden State Warriors, it also has major deals with Taiwanese baseball team Rakuten Monkeys (~US$2.6m), J1 League club Vissel Kobe (~US$4.6m) and Japanese baseball team Rakuten Gold Eagles (US$5m+).