Rakuten Inc., which paid the Golden State Warriors $60 million for a three-year jersey sponsorship in 2017, is looking to extend the partnership as the National Basketball Association finalists head into the final season of their deal.
The logo patch, on a player's left shoulder and 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) on each side, is key to raising Rakuten's brand awareness in the United States, said Amit Patel, who heads the e-commerce giant's operations in the Americas, in an interview on Friday.
While it's too early to evaluate the sponsorship's impact on revenue, the Japanese giant has seen brand recognition among U.S. basketball fans jump 300 percent since the second season, according to Patel. The next NBA season begins in October.