NBA Baskets Bursting with Sponsorship Deals in 2022-23 Season

The 2022–23 season marked a historic high for the NBA in terms of sponsorship revenue. The league raked in $1.4 billion from no less than 2,430 sponsorship deals, up 10.5% from the previous regular–season campaign. Banks, financial services, tech, healthcare, alcohol and gambling companies drove the season‘s transactions, making in–game attendance and television viewership a profitable endeavour for the NBA.

“The NBA‘s 30 franchises nailed down 2,430 sponsorship deals during the season, which tipped off on Oct. 18 and ended April 9, marking a 3.5% lift compared to 2021–22,” states SponsorUnited‘s report.

The league boasted a record 791 sellouts, with a total attendance of 22.2 million, and capacities reaching an all–time high of 97%. At present, 66% of all NBA clubs have locked in sponsorships deals with a tequila manufacturer.

In 2019, the first example of such activity was Cincoro Tequila‘s agreement to become an official partner of the Los Angeles Lakers, founded by NBA powerhouse Jeanie Buss alongside Michael Jordan, Bucks co–owner Wes Edens, and Celtics co–owners Wyc Grousbeck and Emily Fazzalari.

The season also saw top tequila brands, such as Astral, Casa Noble and Herradura, jump into NBA sponsorship with eye–catching presence courtside.

Additional brand investments included those in personal care/health and beauty, tire manufacturers and even non–alcoholic beers. Official NBA sponsors include Adidas, Wilson and 45 others. Notably, Taco Bell’s parent company Yum Brands chose not to renew their agreement with the league after 13 years, and Apple’s Beats By Dre and Kaiser Permanente also chose not to participate this season.

The three TV partner networks of TNT, ESPN and ABC reported a net gains of $71.3 million in advertising spend, totaling just shy of $633 million. Top television spenders included Google Pixel, AT&T, State Farm and Kia Motors. Taco Bell continued to be one of the top 10 NBA advertisers this season.

“Considering the presence of sellouts and full arenas, the regular season for the NBA was an incredibly successful one,” concluded the report. “The number of sponsorship deals and revenue generated from them, especially with the tequila industry, shows the power of sports as a marketing platform.”