• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Sponsorships of all kinds — even for the champagne sprayed during celebrations — have become big business for the NBA and its individual teams. 

“This week, the National Basketball Association will crown a new champion, and regardless of whether the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Indiana Pacers win, the players, coaches, team staff and even some family members will be doused in bubbly alcohol,” notes The New York Times. “But what began as a spontaneous celebration has now been codified. For some brands, that means an opportunity for visibility that is hard to replicate.”

Sponsorships are the second-biggest source of revenue for the NBA and its teams after media rights deals. 

“Champagne sponsorships in sports have grown 37% in the past three years, but they still make up less than 1 percent of sponsorship spending from the alcoholic beverage industry,” according to The New York Times. “Some venues have lounges, signs or V.I.P. experiences sponsored by a champagne company. Its products sometimes become part of the concession offerings around arenas and stadiums.”

NBA team sponsorships were up 8% year over year to $1.62 billion this season, an increase of 8% since last year, and 91% from $850 million five years ago, according to third-party data firm SponsorUnited, as reported by Television News Daily. 

“The rise of jersey patch partnerships contributed to the uptick, and 450 brands entered into sponsorships with the league for the first time,” according to CNBC. “Growth in sponsorships comes on the heels of the NBA’s landmark $77 billion media rights deal, which begins next season.”

The number of jersey patch deals more than doubled year over year last season.

Team sponsorship revenue across the league has almost doubled over the past five seasons.

“Tech, auto, and healthcare brands contributed to the NBA’s boost over the past few years,” according to Marketing Brew. “The LA Clippers signed big naming-rights deals with Intuit and Kaiser Permanente. The Houston Rockets and Memorial Hermann broadened their partnership. And the Sacramento Kings recently signed auto tech company Reviver up as their jersey-patch sponsor, one of 11 new jersey deals for the 2024–25 season.”