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If you were putting together a basketball team of anime characters, you could do worse than putting Luffy on it. The stretchy captain of the Straw Hat pirates can put his Gum Gum Fruit to good use on the court, which may be why the NCAA is teaming up with One Piece for an upcoming collaboration with five basketball teams this year.

Across 15 nationally broadcast NCAA games featuring Gonzaga University, Rutgers University, St. John’s University, University of Houston, and University of Illinois, fans will get the One Piece treatment. This includes exclusive One Piece Card Game cards and promotional video screenings. Some of those games will include a special One Piece Halftime Show, which will include both teams’ marching band performing the We Are! opening theme from the very first One Piece anime arc. The full collaboration runs from January 23 to March 4, 2026.

In case you thought only anime fans were getting love from the NCAA this season, there will be a special video message from the cast of the Netflix One Piece live action cast played at Rutgers University’s game on January 23, 2026 and St. John’s University on February 6, 2026.

It is a testament to One Piece’s remarkable pop culture penetration that the NCAA has set up this collaboration, but the official website does a good job of introducing One Piece to basketball fans who have somehow escaped it so far. It gives a general rundown of the series’ history as well as where to read the manga or watch both the anime and live-action series. 

The live-action One Piece returns to Netflix March 10.

THE ONE PIECE IS REAL...ly important to Popverse! That's why we've put together the key articles to keep your fandom of the manga-turned-anime-turned-live-action-show alive:

• How to watch One Piece One Piece in chronological and release order (All 1,100+ episodes plus the movies!)
• When the next episode of One Piece is coming
• Netflix almost missed casting Superman star Mikaela Hoover as Tony Tony Chopper because the audition materials were too vague
• Netflix enlists a Bridgerton star to show off the first big set piece of One Piece season 2, with a Loguetown that is full of easter eggs from the manga
• Why One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy is the perfect hero for the dark times ahead
• Every difference between the live-action One Piece and the original manga
• One Piece Gear 5 Form: Everything we know about Luffy's latest transformation
• Ranking the One Piece anime's arcs, from best to worst
• Why is One Piece more popular now that the anime is 25 years old? We asked around and found out
• The English cast of One Piece explain what they love about Eiichiro Oda's storytelling - "He's a genius!"