Rakuten Launches Partnership with Stephen Curry

Tokyo, January 10, 2019 - Rakuten, Inc. today announced a partnership with three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry. The partnership includes a multi-year agreement with Curry that appoints him as Brand Ambassador for Rakuten and lays the ground for collaboration on branding and marketing efforts for Rakuten’s global e-commerce business and membership program, with a special focus on the United States. Rakuten will also be named the title sponsor of Curry’s first-of-its-kind basketball camp for overlooked prep athletes, “Underrated Tour, powered by Rakuten.” 

“The global team at Rakuten is immensely excited to launch our partnership with Stephen Curry, one of the greatest players in the NBA today and one who has relentlessly pushed boundaries and turned established expectations on their head with his achievements,” said Rakuten, Inc. founder and CEO Mickey Mikitani. “This new partnership between Curry and Rakuten is rooted in shared values and experiences: With remarkable track records of disruptive innovation, we continue to set the bar to even greater heights because we are passionate about empowering society and we believe in the future.”

As global brand ambassador, Curry will play a pivotal role in growing the Rakuten brand in the U.S. through appearances, brand marketing and other promotions.

The Underrated Tour, powered by Rakuten, is a first-of-its-kind series of basketball camps designed to highlight underrated prep athletes and provide them with the ultimate training experience. Athletes participating in the Underrated camps will receive professional-level resources, tips and hands-on training from elite coaches including Curry’s trainer, Brandon Payne. The tour will tip off January 19 in Los Angeles and will continue in cities around the United States. The Underrated Tour stop in Phoenix is exclusively available to high school girls who want to take their game to the next level.

In an article published today in The Players’ Tribune, Stephen Curry said: "The idea behind The Underrated Tour is to create a basketball camp, in partnership with Rakuten, for any unsigned high school players rated three stars and below. A camp for high school kids who love to hoop, and are looking for the chance to show scouts that their perceived weaknesses might actually be their secret strengths. And most of all? A camp for anyone who just isn’t willing to let the rest of the world write their story.”

“Stephen has an inspiring story to tell both on and off the court, and we’re excited to collaborate with Rakuten in a way that empowers Stephen to inspire others,” said Jeron Smith, Curry’s business partner. “We look forward to working with Rakuten to inspire the next generation of underrated athletes and to help grow the Rakuten brand in the U.S.”

This partnership expands Rakuten’s investment in sports marketing as a way to continue to build and grow the brand and power key business initiatives. Rakuten is an official partner of the NBA and the official jersey-badge sponsor for the back-to-back NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. Rakuten is also the Global Innovation and Entertainment Partner of FC Barcelona, one of the world’s most beloved soccer clubs. Rakuten also owns Vissel Kobe, the much-loved Western Japan football club, and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball.

About Rakuten
Rakuten, Inc. (TSE: 4755) is a global leader in internet services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications to more than 1.2 billion members around the world. The Rakuten Group has over 15,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions. For more information visit https://global.rakuten.com/corp/.