Stephen Curry Ushers in New Dawn of Basketball in Japan with Underrated Tour, Powered by Rakuten

> Registration for the Underrated Tour, powered by Rakuten is Open Now.

Tokyo, June 5, 2019 — Stephen Curry and Rakuten, Inc. announced today that they will be holding his Underrated Tour, powered by Rakuten, in Japan on June 22 and 23.

The Tokyo tour stop is the latest initiative by Curry to inspire those all over the world who feel undersized and underrated in the world of basketball. Tokyo’s Underrated Tour stop will offer personalized training and tailored activations providing Japan’s most promising athletes with unprecedented resources, knowledge and access. The Underrated Tour tipped off in Los Angeles earlier this year on January 19, making subsequent stops in Washington D.C., Phoenix, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Oklahoma and Oakland along the way. The Tokyo tour stop is the only location to be held outside the U.S. on the tour.

As an innovator and prime example of a once underrated basketball player that evolved into an NBA World Champion, Curry sits poised to disrupt the current camp model in the basketball industry. He hopes to use this first-of-its-kind platform to give people from all backgrounds an opportunity to find success and achieve their wildest dreams — just like he did. After coming to the realization that he himself would not have been invited to his own high school select camp because he was not rated highly enough, Curry created the Underrated Tour.

“The idea behind the Underrated Tour is simple: create a basketball camp for high school players who are looking for the chance to show scouts that their perceived weaknesses might actually be secret strengths,” said Curry. Adding, “A camp for kids who love to hoop but the traditional camps are telling them they’re not enough. That was my story… I was repeatedly labeled ‘undersized,’ and ‘not a finisher,’ all these limitations spoken over me before I even came into my own. Underrated is going to change that and we are excited to bring the tour to Japan where we aim to usher in a new era of Japanese basketball.”

“By supporting Stephen Curry and the Underrated Tour’s visit to Japan, Rakuten is aiming to help inspire the next generation of Japanese basketball,” commented Rakuten Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani. “Alongside our partnerships with the Golden State Warriors and the NBA, the Underrated Tour stop in Tokyo is another great initiative that is part of our commitment to supporting the growth of the popularity of basketball in Japan.”

The Underrated Tour, powered by Rakuten, comes to Tokyo this June 22-23 and will consist of two full days of personal training and opportunities for young athletes to showcase their abilities. With seven previous stops across the United States, this unprecedented tour provides best-in-class resources for participants from training sessions and drills to off-the-court education featuring guest speakers. Brandon Payne, Curry’s personal skills development & performance coach, will host a masterclass that will overview the specific tactics and tools that have helped Stephen find such tremendous success in his craft.

Driven by his insatiable passion for the game of basketball, Stephen hopes to spread the culture of the sport with this new community and bring basketball to the forefront of Japanese fandom. By directly interacting with this generation of basketball players, he hopes to ignite the same level of excitement and passion he feels each time he steps on the court.

Registration for the tour is now open. To register and find additional information about the tour please visit the official Underrated Tour website here.

About Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry’s on and off court legacy is marked by transformation and innovation. With a following of over 13M on twitter and 25M on Instagram, Curry is one of the most influential stars not only on the basketball court, but throughout the world of sports. His nine-year career in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors is marked by many firsts; he was the first person to be named Most Valuable Player by unanimous vote in NBA History and one of a select few to win MVP awards two years in a row. He holds six NBA all-star selections and three NBA Championships. Off the court, he is also an emerging figure in the tech space with direct investments in companies like Pinterest and eSports organization TSM. He is also the founder of the Film & Television company Unanimous Media specializing in Faith, Family and Sports content in tandem with Sony Studios.