Referees within the Nationwide Basketball Affiliation can be sporting a barely totally different take a look at the upcoming All-Star Sport because of a brand new sponsorship deal.
A pink patch with the brand of Emirates will seem on the entrance of referees’ jerseys, slightly below the NBA brand, beginning on Sunday, February 18, in Indianapolis after the Dubai-based provider struck a deal to grow to be the Official World Airline Companion of the NBA.
The patch will stay on the referees’ jerseys for not less than the remainder of the 2023-24 NBA season. Neither the NBA nor Emirates specified the size of the sponsorship deal of their respective press releases Thursday.
The brand patch will even seem on NBA G League referee jerseys beginning with the 2024-25 season and on WNBA referee jerseys beginning within the 2025 season.
Together with the referee jersey patch, Emirates additionally turns into the title sponsor of the NBA’s in-season event, the inaugural version of which was held this season and was received by the Los Angeles Lakers. The event can be rechristened the Emirates NBA Cup when it returns in 2024-25 and have a brand new co-branded brand.
“We are proud to establish a global marketing partnership with the National Basketball Association to become its Official Global Airline Partner,” stated His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Group Chairman and Chief Govt, in a press launch. “This collaboration will also see Emirates become the league’s first referee jersey patch partner and the inaugural title partner of the NBA Cup. With basketball’s popularity around the world, we are excited to work with one of the most globally recognized and prestigious professional leagues. The NBA is a valuable addition to our sponsorship portfolio as it allows us to connect with a vast global fanbase, including in the U.S., where the game is an integral part of the country’s sport culture.”
“Emirates is a world-class airline that shares our commitment to engaging fans around the world in new and creative ways,” added NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Working Officer Mark Tatum. “As basketball continues to be recognized as the fastest growing sport globally, this collaboration will showcase the excitement of the NBA to the millions of people who fly Emirates every year.”
As a part of the sponsorship deal, Emirates logos can be seen in digital in-arena signage and on high of the backboards throughout nationally televised NBA video games. They’ll even have a presence at marquee league occasions across the All-Star Sport, the NBA Finals and NBA World Video games. NBA content material can be out there by Emirates’ inflight leisure system, and the 2 sides are collaborating on co-branded merchandise that can be out there by the official Emirates Store.
This can be Emirates’ first large foray into the North American market, however they’re no strangers to sports activities sponsorship in Europe. They’re the title sponsor of the Emirates FA Cup in England, and their brand seems on the entrance of the kits of high-profile golf equipment like Actual Madrid, Arsenal, Olympique Lyonnais and AC Milan.
