Sports

Japanese Robot Mops Steal The Show At NBA Japan Games

Twitter/Screenshot/public user: Johnny_suputama

Devan Bugbee Contributor
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National Basketball Association (NBA) players were briefly overshadowed at the NBA Japan Games 2022 when robot mops showboated themselves onto the court in the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, as the crowd cheered them on.

The robot mops, developed by Nissan, moved in unison, moving around the court in a parade-march-like fashion, according to video footage from the game.

“Future is now,” someone else tweeted.

The NBA also utilized the mops during a dance routine, according to another video. The robot mops maneuvered around dancers who used what appeared to be non-robotized mops in their performance, according to the video.

It wasn’t the first time floor cleaning seemed to become a main event at a major international basketball game. A floor cleaner stole the show at the 2021 Internation Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup for his high-energy mopping style, a video posted by FIBA demonstrated. (RELATED: Saudi Arabia To Host 2029 Asian Winter Games)

The 2022 NBA Japan games were a small set of pre-season games presented by Rakuten and Nissan that took place Friday to Sunday, according to the NBA’s official website. The event saw the Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards face off in regular games Friday and Sunday, with a special demonstration of the “convergence of the NBA and popular culture” added to Saturday night’s game, the website stated.