Ever since Mark Walter purchased the LA Lakers for $10 billion in October, the franchise has undergone multiple changes on the business side. Just a few days ago, dozens of Lakers employees were laid off. But that hasn’t stopped the rebuild at the front office level. The Purple and Gold franchise hired Yao Williams as VP and Head of Global Partnerships on Tuesday. Just two days later, more positive news came out that they secured a unique partnership with a top Japanese retail brand.

The Lakers confirmed that they have a new multiyear partnership with Japanese retailer Daiso, which will be the presenting sponsor of Laker Girls auditions and will feature its logo on their uniforms for select regular-season games. The Laker Girls were the first dance group in the NBA. Now, this becomes the first branded patch in the dance team’s 47-year history. To note, Daiso operates around 6,000 stores worldwide, which helps increase the iconic Laker Girls’ international appeal.

“Daiso aims to be a global lifestyle infrastructure that enriches lives around the world. We are incredibly honored to partner with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Laker Girls,” said Daiso board member Taku Suzuki. “By connecting with the Lakers’ passionate international fanbase, we look forward to delivering ‘DANZEN’ – our commitment to being the ‘absolute best and exceeding expectations – to communities everywhere.”

This reflects a strategic shift toward innovative sponsorships using entertainment assets beyond player jerseys. Naturally, the credit will go to the Lakers executive Yao Williams, who is still new to the franchise, but already has had to get involved in such a deal.

Williams has over two decades of global experience managing large-scale brand partnerships, securing high-profile domestic and international revenue deals, and leading sales teams across the sports and entertainment industries. Prior to joining the Lakers, he was also part of Premier League team Manchester City and had previously also co-led global partnerships at Elevate Sports Ventures.

He is part of the team, which also includes former Dodgers executive Lon Rosen, who replaced longtime Lakers president Tim Harris as president of business operations in February.

“I couldn’t be more excited to have Yao Williams join the Lakers business and lead our global partnership team,” Lakers President of Business Operations Lon Rosen said in a statement. “Yao is an engaging leader with an appetite for innovation that will help drive performance and deliver best-in-class experiences for Lakers partners.”

Mark Walter has previously hired employees who worked for the Dodgers, which Pelinka called a “brother-sister organization” for the Lakers.  But he is not shy to look outside. The move for Williams comes just one week after the Lakers hired a former aerospace engineer with NBA experience.

Mark Walter continues Lakers’ new hire in their front office

Rohan Ramadas was appointed as the Assistant General Manager of Strategy and Data Systems on the basketball operations side to build out the team’s modern analytics infrastructure. He spent 12 years supporting the Aerospace Corporation, the U.S. Space Force, and NASA. Ramadas was serving as the New Orleans Pelicans VP of Basketball Operations and Strategy before the move to LA. He will be working closely with Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka.

“Rohan is an important and strong addition to our front office as we further build out our basketball operations resources,” Pelinka said in the team’s official announcement. “His unique blend of career experiences and analytical expertise will further strengthen the strong work already taking place internally within our data analytics and salary cap management teams.”

Mark Walter also added Ryan Kantor as the Vice President of Global Partnerships. His scope targets sales strategies and creating new business pipelines across both domestic and international markets.

The Lakers also hired Tony Bennett, the former championship-winning Virginia men’s basketball head coach. He will work as an NBA Draft Consultant and Advisor. Another addition to the team was Jessica Park, who was appointed as the Director of Global Partnerships to work directly alongside Kantor and Williams. With all of these changes, Walters will be hoping the Lakers can replicate the Dodgers’ success, who already have three World Series in his ownership tenure.