On July 8, Rakuten Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Rakuten) announced that it has signed a contract to support the management activities of Kai Toews, which belongs to B.LEAGUE’s Shiga Lakes, and King Kai, which belongs to Yokohama B-Corsairs. did. In the future, Rakuten will support both athletes by appearing in the media and acquiring sponsorship as branding activities in Japan and overseas under the “Rakuten Sports” brand, which develops businesses to support athletes globally. The management of the competition will continue to be carried out by the agent companies of both athletes. Taves has been playing soccer and basketball since he was a child, but he has been devoting himself to basketball since the 4th grade of elementary school. When he was in the second year of Toyo University Keihoku High School, he went to the United States to aim for even higher heights. He enrolled in the Bridgeton Academy Prep School in his first year in the United States, and from the second year he transferred to Northfield Mount Harmon Prep School, a high school that has won the US championship. He received scholarship offers from multiple universities and enrolled in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in July 2017. He was the starting pitcher from his first year and recorded an average of 7.7 assists, second in NCAA Division 1 of the season. For the 2022-23 season, a season player contract has been agreed with Shiga Lakes for the “FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 He is the Asian Regional Qualifier” and the “FIBA Asia Cup 2022” to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from July 12th. He has also been selected as a Japanese national team player. King belonged to Yokohama B-Corsairs U15 Boys when he was in junior high school, and after going on to Aletheia Shonan High School, he participated in the Inter-High School Championships when he was in the third year of high school. After retiring from high school club activities, he belonged to the Yokohama B-Corsairs U18 Boys and was active. After that, when he entered Senshu University, he was selected as a candidate for the U-22 Japan National Team when he was in his second year at university. He served as a team captain in 4 years, became the top scorer in the “70th Kanto University Basketball Championship”, and was selected as an excellent player in the “97th Kanto University Basketball League Match”. He led the team to 4th place at the “73rd All Japan Intercollegiate Basketball Championship” and was also selected as an excellent player. As a specially designated player from January 2021, he has been a member of Yokohama B-Corsairs under a player contract since December of the same year. Taves and King commented on the deal as follows: Kai Toews “We have signed a partnership in support of Rakuten Sports’ thoughts and efforts. We aim to be a basketball player who can give people joy and fun through basketball with Rakuten. We will continue to do our utmost to contribute to the further development of Japanese basketball. Thank you for your continued support. ”King Kai“ We have signed a management contract with Rakuten, Yokohama Bee Corsairs, King. It’s open. I’m very honored to have this opportunity. I’ve been playing basketball with the desire to “give energy and courage to basketball” to all the fans who have been supporting me for a long time. I would like to give this to Rakuten and as many people as possible. And I would like to continue to grow as a player and as a person. Thank you for your continued support. “Rakuten has continued to support us.” Also, signed partnership agreements with NBA, Golden State Warriors, and Stephen Curry, and implemented various initiatives. In “Rakuten Sports”, Yuki Kawamura of Yokohama B-Corsairs, Yudai Baba who played an active part in the NBL and NBA G League in Australia, and Rui Machida who has been playing in WNBA’s Washington Mystics since the 2022 season Through various activities such as supporting the management activities of the NBA, we have built a network in the basketball and sports world at home and abroad. By utilizing these networks and branding know-how, we aim to support the activities of athletes who are active in Japan and overseas, such as Taves and King, in various fields. ■ Kai Toews Profile Date of Birth: September 17, 1998 (23 years old) Height / Weight: 188cm / 85kg Birthplace: Hyogo Prefecture Position: Point Guard Affiliation: Toyo University Keihoku High School → Bridgeton Academy Prep School → North Field Mount Harmon Prep School → North Carolina University Wilmington School → Utsunomiya Brex (special designation) → Shiga Lakes ■ King Opening Profile Date of Birth: February 29, 2000 (22 years old) Height / Weight: 185cm / 83kg Location: Kanagawa Prefecture Position: Point guard / Shooting guard Affiliation: Areseia Shonan High School → Yokohama Bee Corsairs U18 Boys → Senshu University → Yokohama Bee Corsairs
