Warriors sign $60 million jersey advertisement deal with tech company Rakuten

The Golden State Warriors have agreed to a deal with Rakuten, a Japanese-based electronics retailer, to advertise on their jersey. The deal is for three years and $60 million, by far the most lucrative jersey ad that has been agreed to this offseason.

This will be the first season that the NBA allows jersey advertisements, which are restricted to 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches on the left shoulder of the jersey. Here’s what the Warriors’ patch with look like, and here’s a running list of every advertisement that we know about so far.

Here’s one more look.

The Warriors aren’t the first team to sign a deal with a company that doesn’t match their colors — the Bucks will be sponsored by orange-and-black Harley Davidson, for example — but the red is slightly off-putting compared to the normal colors that Golden State uses. Still, this is a minor addition to the team’s official uniforms, one that corresponds with the switch to Nike as the league’s official apparel provider, and shouldn’t really disturb anyone.

Rakuten doesn’t have a huge presence in the United States, but they’re a massive company owning many smaller technology companies. They also operate Japan’s largest internet bank and one of the country’s largest credit card companies, and are valued at $15.2 billion by Forbes. Attaching themselves to the NBA’s most visible team — and also one located in the prominent Bay Area — will help expand their name.

This is the second enormous sports sponsorship acquired by Rakuten, who has also replaced Qatar Airlines in sponsoring FC Barcelona during the 2017-18 La Liga season.