As the WNBA season draws to a close and the NBA campaign is set to begin, Nike has announced a landmark contract extension with both leagues for a further 13 years.
Nike will continue as the kit supplier for both the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League until 2037, providing teams with global outfitting, merchandise, marketing and content partnerships.
Nike and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) also extended their group licence agreement, making Nike an official partner of the NBPA.
Elliott Hill, Nike President and CEO, said: “Nike has always been more than a league sponsor, we’re a strategic partner with an unwavering commitment to growing the game, alongside the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League.
“Our collective power, global reach and genuine love for the game will only continue to create new pathways and opportunities for players and fans.”
Nike has had a long-lasting fruitful relationship with the NBA, which can largely be attributed to Michael Jordan and the first ever Air Jordan shoe worn by the basketball legend in 1984.
Fast-forward 40 years to 2024, and the Jordan line of shoes is largely worn by a majority of NBA players with Nike leveraging Jordan’s massive popularity to become one of the largest brands in the world.
Sarah Mensah, President of Jordan Brand, stated: “This partnership extension reflects our enduring commitment to growing the game, championing basketball culture and supporting the next generation of athletes.
“We put athletes, and the game, at the centre of all we do, and this extension serves to further galvanise hoopers behind a shared pursuit of greatness as only Nike and our partners can.”
The NBA, WNBA and NBA G League will work with Nike to continue to expand the sports apparel’s footprint in basketball by introducing programmes and resources to make best-in-class youth basketball accessible to a broad range of ages.
This will involve Nike supplying its equipment as well as age-and-stage coaching and training to help the future of the sport grow whilst maintaining on-court development.
The extension also see’s the collaboration to enhance player, coach and program development opportunities across Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) through expanded leadership, player health and on-court development programming.
NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, added: “Nike is inextricably linked to basketball and has helped fuel the growth and innovation around our sport for decades.
“With an added focus on youth basketball, our expanded partnership will create even more opportunities for aspiring players to learn and compete at all levels and for fans of all ages to engage with the NBA and WNBA.”
