Warriors are getting a huge sum for ads on their jerseys

The Golden State Warriors have jumped on the jersey-patch bandwagon.

The Golden State Warriors have made a late change to their 2017-18 jerseys. Warriors uniforms will now include a Rakuten patch adjacent to the Nike swoosh. Now, with just one month to go until the NBA season, Golden State becomes the latest team to add a jersey-patch as advertising deals are taking the league by storm.

Although jersey patches are relatively new to the NBA, the Warriors are rather late to the party. In fact, with this deal, Golden State becomes the 14th franchise to include a jersey-patch. Despite nearly half of the NBA signing advertisement deals for jerseys, big markets remain open. Among those franchises yet to sign a jersey-ad deal are the Knicks, Bulls and Lakers. However, teams such as the Cavaliers and Celtics have jumped on-board with the trend.

An abundance of companies stepped forward when the Warriors came looking for a sponsor. But in the end, Japanese tech company, Rakuten, prevailed. The Japanese company will pay the Warriors $20 million annually over the course of three seasons. That deal is the largest patch deal in the NBA.

Next: Power Ranking All-Time NBA Uniforms

The Warriors chose Rakuten, despite the Japanese not making the biggest offer. But, the Warriors deal was huge for the company, who recently added its name onto the jerseys of FC Barcelona as well. Rakuten has made its mark on sports around the globe, sponsoring Japanese baseball teams and soccer teams in multiple countries.

As the Warriors look to build a worldwide image and reputation, they wanted to add a well-known, worldwide brand. Players and front-office officials alike were in favor of jersey sponsorships in Golden State. The Warriors will sell the patches on authentic and replica jerseys throughout Oracle Arena during the 2017-18 season. In addition to the patches, the Warriors practice facility will be renamed by Rakuten, as well.