Tokyo, April 24, 2019 - Rakuten, Inc. and the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that a series of ticket presales for the NBA Japan Games 2019 Presented by Rakuten will begin in Japan on Thursday, April 25 at 12 p.m. JST*1 via Rakuten Ticket, Rakuten Group’s ticket service. Ticket prices start from 8,000 Japanese yen (includes tax).
The NBA Japan Games 2019 Presented by Rakuten will mark the NBA’s 13th and 14th games in Japan. The Toronto Raptors and Houston Rockets will play two preseason games when they meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8 at Saitama Super Arena, followed by a rematch at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 10.
Beginning April 25, the first ticket presale will be available to select subscribers of Rakuten NBA Special*2, the all-access subscription service offered through Rakuten TV, select NBA League Pass subscribers*3 who have subscribed via Rakuten, and to all current subscribers of NBA League Pass who have subscribed through the NBA*4. The ticket presale for all Rakuten NBA Special and NBA League Pass subscribers will begin Thursday, May 9 at 12 p.m. For an overview of the ticket packages available to these groups, fans can visit https://event.tv.rakuten.co.jp/nba_japan_games_2019.
The ticket presale for Rakuten Diamond members*5 will begin Friday, May 24 at 12 p.m., and the ticket presale will open to all Rakuten members*6 on Wednesday, June 12 at 12 p.m. For an overview of the ticket packages*7 available to these groups, fans can visit http://r-t.jp/nba2019.
Tickets for fans outside of Japan will go on sale Friday, May 24 at 12 p.m., with additional details to be announced on the Rakuten ticket website in the coming weeks.
The Rockets, who previously visited Japan in 1992 when they played two regular-season opening games in Yokohama, currently feature 2018 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player James Harden, nine-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul and 2017 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon. The Raptors, who will be making their first visit to Japan, are currently led by 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, five-time NBA All-Star Kyle Lowry and three-time NBA All-Star Marc Gasol.
*1 All dates and times contained in this press release are given in Japan Standard Time (JST).
*2 Offer available to current annual subscribers and monthly subscribers with consecutive subscriptions from October 25, 2018 or earlier.
*3 Offer available to monthly subscribers with consecutive subscriptions from March 22, 2019 or earlier.
*4 NBA League Pass subscribers who have subscribed through the NBA must have the ticket presale code sent to current subscribers in advance via email to participate in the first two rounds of ticket presales.
*5 Rakuten Diamond Members are those that have a Rakuten Card, have received points 30 or more times in the last six months, and have a cumulative total of at least 4,000 points.
*6 Fans can sign up to be a Rakuten member for free here.
*7 The first three rounds of ticket presales will be available via ticket lottery. Please see the Rakuten Ticket site for further information on the format of the ticket presales beginning on June 12.
About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League. The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2018-19 season featured 108 international players from 42 countries and territories. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.5 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.
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 17,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions. For more information visit https://global.rakuten.com/corp/.