Japan's NBA Fandom is Growing in Innovative Ways

NBA fandom in Japan goes beyond Yuki Mania (the substantial buzz surrounding point guard Yuki Kawamura's first season playing pro hoops in North America), Rui Hachimura and the two NBA teams with Japanese language content: the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards. 

Content creators with loyal followings play a big role in driving deep engagement between Japan and the NBA.

New York-based Rikuto AF is one of them. He is a YouTube success story, amassing over 103,000 subscribers, and creating Knicks and NBA content in Japanese. 

Rikuto AF has parlayed his social media traction into managing NBA Japan's social media accounts. He has also received inside access to Madison Square Garden, commonly known as "The Garden," to give viewers a palpable sense of the arena's infectious energy.

A 40-year-old Japanese Knicks fan who goes by YSD on X (formerly Twitter) follows Rikuto AF closely. "There is no official Knicks content in Japanese, but the amount of people creating Knicks content [in Japanese] is pretty big," he said.

How YSD Became a Passionate NBA Fan

YSD inherited his NBA obsession in the early 1990s from his father, who brought him back VHS tapes and magazines plastered with Michael Jordan. The birth of YSD's Knicks fandom started right after Jordan retired when the "Miracle Knicks" climbed from an eighth-seed finish to making an NBA Finals appearance. 

During the 1998-99 post-lockout season, current head coach Tom Thibodeau was an assistant to Jeff Van Gundy, and current Knicks superstar guard Jalen Brunson was not yet 3 years old. His father and current assistant coach Rick Brunson played during this improbable run.

The Knicks are located in the basketball world's epicenter, known as "The Mecca." But YSD finds their "zasōu spirit" appealing ― literally translating into "in the weeds spirit." An equivalent English translation would be the Knicks' "hard hat," "blue-collar," or "grinder" mentality.

Rikuto AF describes the Knicks roster as being full of nikumenai characters ― those who work so hard that they are impossible to dislike — despite being in a flashy city. And he thinks New York's current bench boss is endearing to current and potential Japanese fans.

Knicks Coach Thibodeau is 'Very Relatable'

"Thibs is like your quintessential ganko na oyaji (stubborn man). Most Japanese people grew up with some sort of father figure that was ganko,"Rikuto AF said, pausing to laugh. "So I think he's very relatable in a weird sense. He rarely smiles, especially during games, so when he does crack a smile, even if it's for a second, people go crazy."

Thibodeau's tenacious desire to win every game comes from a monk-like devotion to the game ― so much so that he infamously sacrificed his own marriage to solely devote himself to the game.

"It's very manga-poi for [the Japanese fanbase]," Rikuto AF said. "Like you really know what this person is about. And I think that's why Japanese fans like Thibs."

This season, there are greater expectations to live up to the team's success in the 2023-24 season, when the Knicks had a 50-32 record and then reached the Eastern Conference semifinals. 

How newcomer Karl-Anthony Towns handles New York's unforgiving pressure remains to be seen. His legacy will be shaped by how he measures up to the long list of tough bigs who played at The Garden — Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, and, most famously, Willis Reed who hobbled back onto the court in Game 7 to help the Knicks win their first championship in 1970. 

Japanese Assistant Establishes Himself on Knicks Coaching Staff

Japanese fans will have even more reason to root for the Knicks as assistant coach Daisuke "Dice" Yoshimoto worked his way up from the video room to becoming a mainstay in Thibs' coaching circle. The Osaka native has also served as an NBA Summer League head coach for the Knicks from 2021-24.

In addition, the NBA's only Japanese coach is mentioned regularly on NYK Saiken Projecto (NYK Rebuilding Project), a YouTube channel co-hosted by Rikuto AF and WOWOW's Sotaro Nagasawa.

"We always talk about Dice. Probably the only place where Dice gets talked about on a weekly basis," Rikuto AF said with a laugh.

How Yuki Mania May Impact Japanese Knicks Fandom

The explosion of interest in Kawamura may indirectly increase Japanese Knicks fandom.

Player comparisons are part and parcel of following the NBA, and Jalen Brunson is an exemplar, a gold standard for Kawamura.

Brunson averaged a career-best 28.7 points per game in the 2023-24 season. And he's scoring at a 25.1 points-per-game clip in 22 games this season (through December 4).

Meanwhile, the 173-cm Kawamura has split time playing for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Memphis Hustle, the team's NBA G League affiliate, appearing in a combined 17 games, including 12 in the NBA (through December 5). Most notably, Kawamura had a 15-point, 16-assist effort for the Hustle on November 20. And he's averaging 10.8 points and 11.8 assists for the Hustle.

This comparison is echoed by Japan's most-renowned basketball analyst Chris Sasaki. He points to "one distinctive similarity," which is "[their] ability to get to the paint and put pressure on the defense to react. And as a playmaker, there's nothing more important than to get into the teeth of the defense."

Sasaki's analysis is often praised for its objectivity, and he continued, "In my eyes, Kawamura actually has an edge on his speed and explosiveness with his first step. Brunson uses his craftiness and savvy tactics.

"But both guards have a low center of gravity, giving them the ability to knock their defender off balance while they stay balanced to score at will." Both play with a similar poise even when surrounded by a forest of bigs in the paint.

An Opportunity to Grow the Knicks Fanbase

NBA Rakuten senior manager Takashi Inoue, who provided viewing data from the platform, sees potential for Japanese Knicks fandom. According to Inoue, Brunson ranked as the 29th-most favorite NBA player, and the Knicks as the 15th-most favorite team, according to figures from October 2023. The Knicks were the 10th-most viewed NBA team in the 2023-24 season (including playoff games). 

New York (14-8 through December 5) continues to shoulder great expectations with the addition of KAT and Mikal Bridges, led by a coach obsessed with winning. The Knicks' continued rise, along with Yuki Mania drawing new Japanese NBA fans, could birth more Japanese Knicks fans the same way YSD became a lifelong one after being inspired by the Knicks of the late '90s. 

On a related note, as of December 5, the NBA Rakuten YouTube channel has grown to 372,000 subscribers.

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Author: Terukazu Ikeda

Ikeda is a Toronto-based freelance writer who has contributed reporting to Raptors Republic, The Canadian (quarterly publication of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan), and other media outlets.