The NBA's secret weapon for winning fans in Japan: Rakuten

October 19, 2022 2:29 PMNEW YORK – On a recent Sunday afternoon, a basketball fan in a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey took his seat for a pre-season National Basketball Association (NBA) game in a sold-out arena. This would have been unremarkable if not for the fact the game was taking place 5,000 miles (8,047 km) away from American shores and the Cavaliers were not even part of it.