The clapping was noticeable as the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards played the NBA's first game in Japan since 2019.
“These games were meant to be played last year, and because of the Olympics, covid, we pushed it,” said Ramez Sheikh, NBA Asia’s managing director. “… But I think fortunately now we’ve had this momentum with the Olympics and the success of the female team, having Rui drafted and having the World Cup next August in Tokyo together with the Philippines and Indonesia, it’s sort of great. It’s great for the game; it’s great for momentum.
This weekend’s exhibition is taking place as Japan prepares to allow individual visitors, regardless of vaccination status, to enter the country again Oct. 11 after aThe timing of the games contributed to the feeling, from one outsider’s perspective, that the country is at a turning point. Those deprived of basketball action and feting Hachimura during the Olympics made the stands at Saitama Super Arena shake over the weekend.
“You see how popular he is; when he spoke to the crowd, they went crazy. It was a great moment,” Kerr said. “The game has been a global one for a long time, but the more international stars we can get, the more popular the game becomes in that particular player’s country. Hopefully they’ll have more and more players coming from Japan to the NBA, because you can see it’s a basketball-crazed country here. People love it. It’s fun to be a part of.
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