PayPal becomes latest NBA jersey patch sponsor

The NBA’s Pheonix Suns have signed a deal with digital payments platform PayPal, becoming their first jersey patch sponsor and the 25^th NBA team to have secured such a deal.

The NBA approved jersey sponsorships back in 2016, as part of a three-year pilot program.

As part of the partnership, PayPal’s logo will appear prominently on the front left of the team’s jerseys.

The digital payments firm will also be designated the Official Payment Partner of the Suns and the women’s WNBA team the Phoenix Mercury.

PayPal’s services will be integrated into the Sun’s business through physical card readers at point of sale terminals, allowing visitors to pay with their Venmo balance, as well as making PayPal a payment option at the team’s Talking Stick Resort Arena, including the Suns Team Shop.

“In an increasingly digital and mobile world, there’s no better teammate for this extensive partnership than an innovative industry leader like PayPal,” Suns president and chief executive, Jason Rowley said.

“It was important for us to partner with an organisation that had a strong local presence in the Valley and demonstrated a shared commitment to positively impacting our community.”

PayPal’s president and chief executive, Dan Schulman, added: “PayPal has had a significant presence in Arizona and the Phoenix metro area for more than a decade and we are proud to be the Suns’ first jersey patch partner and work with an organisation that is so important to a city and state we also call home.”

The global partnership will commence with the 2018-19 regular season, which tips off on October 17.