NBA and Japan's NINJA BASKETBALL ARMY Reimagine a 16th-Century World Where Ninjas Settled Wars With Basketball

The NBA launched NINJA BASKETBALL ARMY in May 2026, a story brand developed by Japanese creative collective NINJA BASKETBALL ANONYMOUS. This initiative reimagines 16th-century Japan, where ninja clans settle territorial disputes through basketball instead of warfare. Directed by Takaya Mitsunaga, the project integrates American basketball culture with Japanese historical identity, spanning story, design, character, and fashion. The narrative posits that feudal lords agreed to resolve conflicts via a sport derived from "temari," a traditional Japanese ball game. Ninjas exchange traditional weapons for basketballs, aiming at baskets designed for "momo" (peaches), a symbol of protection. This premise fosters an indigenous basketball culture across Japan, with each clan developing unique techniques influenced by their ninjutsu. The brand's visual identity features new team logos and kamon (family crests) reflecting regional histories. A specialized typeface, inspired by "Jindai Moji" and Edo-period literature, was created in collaboration with the Iga Ueno Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an organization with historical ties to ninja culture. This script is used within the fiction for covert communication via written documents and rope cords.