NBA beat

The “NBA Beat” video series consists of 14 episodes, celebrating individuality, creativity, and passion as seen through the eyes of diverse individuals of various professions including artists, entrepreneurs, musicians and community organizers based in Japan. Each person has their own personal attachment to NBA and basketball culture and uses it as a major source of inspiration and sustenance in their work.

The video series aims to showcase the appeal of the NBA from different perspectives by encouraging each interviewee to speak freely about the role of basketball culture in their daily lives. It seeks to take the viewer beyond the realm of "basketball as a sport" and deepen their understanding of the history and growing street culture of the NBA with the objective of turning casual fans into lifelong superfans.

It’s Friday evening in Kyoto, and at his temple Nobu is wrapping up his religious duties for the day. poweredby.tokyo, in collaboration with the NBA, follows Buddhist Nobu as he transforms from monk to baller. For Nobu, his two loves religion and basketball flow seamlessly with one another. Both provide an opportunity for meditation, where practice and repetition is rewarded through growth and self-control. As a child he was heavily influenced by the manga Slam Dunk, and now he spends every Friday shooting hoops with local Kansai players. The Kyoto basketball community has become his second home, he says, and the sport has become inseparable with his daily life. 

NBA Beat meets Goddess Basketball Club, a community of female players who love basketball, fashion, and the company of one another. Their difference in age, background, and experience in basketball makes Goddess Basketball Club not only a unique community but a role model for the young female players in Japan who want to start basketball. For them, it’s not about winning or losing, but about simply having fun with their girlfriends. 

Youtuber and 2K fanatic JUNJUN looks back on his journey from fan to official presenter with poweredby.tokyo, in collaboration with the NBA. Since getting hooked on 2K at 19 years old through a 2k08 trial on his Xbox 360, JUNJUN has absorbed basketball into his professional life. As the creator of the SouChou Shooting Club and JUNJUN Produce Youtube channels he plays 2K with guests online and makes comedy content centered around the sport. A star of the gaming sector, JUNJUN presented 2k’s official online competition in March 2022 as NBA 2K Japan’s main ambassador. 

Take a peek into graphic designer Ⓜ︎Q’s artistic process with poweredby.tokyo, in collaboration with the NBA. A self-proclaimed Washington Wizards superfan, Ⓜ︎Q has been using pencil and digital paint to create stunning sport portraiture for her favorite team since 2015. After spending a bulk of her childhood drawing and playing basketball she has become one of the key voices sharing knowledge about the sport in Japan. On top of being an illustrator she serves as a host on Youtube channel BASKETBALL DINER, where she delivers NBA news and chats with guests about Wizards updates and lore. 

Kickback with Ryo, Chris, Meg and the team at Coast2Coast as they watch a NBA game and celebrate basketball culture. In collaboration with NBA, poweredby.tokyo invites you to a night at the cafe and community space founded by mother and son duo Megumi and Ryo Wakazuki. Coast2Coast is a charming eatery adorned with NBA-inspired artwork and basketball memorabilia in Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood, previously featured in Episode 1 of NBA Beat as local ZiNEZ favorite. This time, we pull in focus on staff members like Chris and Takumi who create online platforms for fans to learn about their favorite sport through Tiktok and their in-house project, “Off the Coast Podcast”.