• by Karl Greenberg , March 31, 2011

Financial institution BBVA Compass is partnering with the National Basketball Association around a mobile grassroots basketball-themed tour called "Team. Works. on Tour." The road show, which begins April 2 in McAllen, Texas, will make 30 stops in nine markets over the next two months.

The tour, focused on BBVA Compass' retail footprint in the Sunbelt, will visit cities like Albuquerque, Birmingham, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Jacksonville, and San Antonio. It features a 6,000-square-foot activity venue centering on half courts and skills areas. On hand will be "official tour ambassador" and seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry, who will travel to most of the tour stops to do meet-and-greets and autograph signings, and to participate in games and activities around the venue's courts.

The NBA in April will announce this year's iteration of its "NBA Nation" tour, the league's primary brand-building grassroots effort in the U.S. "The NBA Nation is our larger tour, and it has multiple partners," notes a spokesperson, who said the BBVA tour visits generally smaller community events, and BBVA Compass bank locations. "It hits different markets than NBA Nation," he says, pointing out that the NBA brings the latter program to high-traffic public areas like New York's Union Square on 14th Street, where the NBA launched the tour in 2008, and festivals like "Taste of Chicago."

Last year's NBA Nation sponsors included T-Mobile, Kia and Sprite. The NBA has had other grassroots programs including Jam Van and local-level activations such as sponsorship at Kmart of its Protégé line of athletic shoes.

"Grassroots events and community programs are an integral part of how we and our partners connect with NBA fans locally," said Mark Tatum, NBA EVP of global marketing partnerships, in a statement. He said the tour and the community events around it will promote both the bank and the NBA to local communities.

As part of "Team. Works. on Tour," NBA Cares and BBVA will run a "Team. Works. in Schools" initiative to refurbish schools throughout the BBVA Compass Sunbelt footprint, at schools in Birmingham, Dallas/Fort Worth, McAllen, Phoenix, and San Antonio.