• by Karl Greenberg , November 7, 2014

Basketball has its version of the minors. They don't have a national audience, obviously, but they have local market strength and fan base. And the teams, often feeders to the big leagues, have an old-school accessibility and popularity. 

In basketball it's called the D League (for NBA Development League), and there's a just-launched team in New York, the Westchester Knicks, the official D League for the Knickerbockers. The Madison Square Garden Company owns the team, and MSG partner JPMorgan Chase has signed on as sponsor.

Chase, which became MSG's first-ever Marquee Partner four years ago, gets its logo on Westchester Knicks properties and home venue, the Westchester County Center in White Plains, N.Y. The team makes its inaugural season home opener there on Nov. 19 versus the Canton Charge.

The partners say the Chase logo will be on both the home and road jerseys, and the financial company will have in-arena presence at the team's home turf as well as access to traditional and digital media platforms. At the center, Chase's logo will grace the center-court jump circle and the court apron, and there is "brand integration across the Westchester Knicks’ promotional and marketing initiatives," per the partners.

Said Steve Pamon, head of sports and entertainment marketing for Chase: “The Westchester Knicks’ inaugural season also gives us a great opportunity to provide unique experiences to a community where many of our customers live and work.”

The Marquee Partnership gives JPMorgan Chase access to venues like Madison Square Garden, Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Beacon Theatre, Chicago Theatre; entertainment ventures like the Radio City Christmas Spectacular; professional sports teams including the Knicks, New York Rangers, and New York Liberty; and regional television networks and digital platforms.