• by Wayne Friedman , Yesterday

Against the backdrop of the NBA Finals set to start tonight, league-wide sponsorship deals for the league continued to show strong gains -- estimated to be up 8% to $1.62 billion this current season, according to SponsorUnited.

Although the actual number of brand deals has leveled off, the spending per deal is higher -- now at an average deal of $654,000, according to the sports/entertainment data/insights company.

A longer view shows that over the last five years, the league has posted a 91% gain in sponsorship activity. This year, 450 new brands linked up with the league.

The strongest categories include financial, with spending at $250 million, up 2% from a year ago; technology, with $140 million (gaining 18%); and healthcare, at $110 million (up 8%). Heading in the other direction are gaming deals (down 5% to $75 million) and consumer products (losing 3% to around $70 million).

In terms of highest spend, the report put Rakuten (a e-commerce/digital content company) first, followed by JP Morgan Chase, Anheuser Busch InBev, Toyota, and Bibigo. In terms of most media/marketing “assets” -- stadium naming rights, for example -- Toyota is tops, followed by AB InBev, PepsiCo, Hyundai, and Coca-Cola.

Overall, per team, sponsorship business shows the Golden State Warriors are estimated to be north of $200 million in sponsorship revenue -- easily the top NBA sponsorship team. The Warriors rank alongside other professional sports teams -- the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Dodgers -- as teams over the $200 million a year mark.

Looking at the number of individual sponsors, the Washington Wizards had the most sponsorship partners this past season -- around 105, with the Indiana Pacers next -- just under 100.

Looking at this year's NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder-Indiana Pacers, shows the Thunder ranked 25th in the number of sponsorship deals for an NBA team, with the Pacers in fifth place.

Each of the team's high profile players Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton have seven sponsorship deals. Recently Gilgeous-Alexander was named the league’s most valuable player this season.

This report -- looking at all brand sponsorships, endorsements, and social engagement across the NBA and its athletes for the 2024-25 season -- surveyed more than 1,700 brands, 2,600 deals, and 41,780 social posts from September 13, 2024, to April 13, 2025.

Analysts are concerned about the expected TV ratings -- that these smaller market teams -- might yield weak TV viewership than in past years.

In the summer of 2024, the NBA inked a collective $76 billion in TV rights deals with ESPN/ABC, NBCUniversal, and Amazon Prime Video for 11 years starting next season.