SponsorUnited · 2025–26 SeasonPowered by SPND

The NBA
Sponsorship
Intelligence Report

The definitive read on where $1.8B in NBA brand spend is moving — who's growing, who's churning, and what it means for the next sponsorship cycle.

Team Sponsorship Revenue

$1.8B

+11.1% YoY

Team Sponsorship Deals

2,452

+51 sponsorship deals

Unique Brands

1,661

+35 YoY

Avg Deal Size

$731K

01 · Headline Rankings & Sponsorship Benchmarks

The NBA sponsorship market crossed $1.8 billion — and the pricing curve is steepening.

Team sponsorship revenue grew +11.1% YoY, more than the +9% pace from the prior season. Deal volume slowed; per-deal pricing did not.

Multi-season team sponsorship revenue trend

23–24

$1.48B

2,299 sponsorship deals

24–25

$1.62B

2,401 sponsorship deals

25–26

$1.80B

2,452 sponsorship deals

Top teams by YoY sponsorship revenue growth

Los Angeles Clippers

New jersey patch (Visit Rwanda)

Detroit Pistons

First time in 6 years that they made playoffs (2024-25)

Phoenix Suns

New venue naming rights (Mortgage Matchup Center)

New York Knicks

Several new 7-figure deals, 4th straight playoff appearance (2025-26)

Brooklyn Nets

New jersey patch (All In Won Med Bill & IT)

Atlanta Hawks

New jersey patch (Paze)

Top 10 categories by estimated brand spend

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Top 5 brands by spend

#1Rakuten
#2AB InBev
#3JPMorganChase
#4Hyundai Motor Group
#5Toyota

Top 5 new brands by total spend

#1All In Won Med Bill & IT
#2Visit Rwanda
#3Paze (Early Warning)
#4Judi Health
#5Ledger (Enterprise Solutions)

Top 10 sponsorship deals by brand spend

Rakuten

Golden State Warriors

CJ Group

Los Angeles Lakers

Intuit

LA Clippers

JPMorganChase

Golden State Warriors

Experience Abu Dhabi

New York Knicks

Scotiabank

Toronto Raptors

Barclays

Brooklyn Nets

Amica Insurance

Boston Celtics

All In Won Med Bill & IT

Brooklyn Nets

#10

Kaiser Permanente

Golden State Warriors

What this means

Financial is the runaway #1 patch category at $318M in spend — nearly 2× technology ($173M). On the jersey itself, financial brands now hold 10 of 29 patches (34%), up from 8 of 27 last season. Two new financial brands entered the premium slot this year: Paze in Atlanta and Ledger in San Antonio, both first-time NBA partners.

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01b · Team Rankings

Toronto sits alone. Phoenix and New York are moving off the chart.

Three seasons of deal-count data across the top 10 teams. The biggest movers explain themselves: new ownership, new venues, new stars.

Top 10 NBA teams · Deal count · 2025–26

Cleveland Cavaliers

3-yr: 98 → 88 → 103

103

Washington Wizards

3-yr: 114 → 107 → 97

Indiana Pacers

3-yr: 90 → 98 → 95

Toronto Raptors

3-yr: 83 → 84 → 93

Phoenix Suns

3-yr: 76 → 77 → 89

New Orleans Pelicans

3-yr: 97 → 98 → 86

Sacramento Kings

3-yr: 78 → 87 → 86

Detroit Pistons

3-yr: 78 → 83 → 85

San Antonio Spurs

3-yr: 72 → 72 → 82

#10

Memphis Grizzlies

3-yr: 80 → 81 → 81

Biggest movers ↑

New York Knicks+28.3%

Cleveland Cavaliers+17.0%

Phoenix Suns+15.6%

Los Angeles Lakers+14.7%

San Antonio Spurs+13.9%

NBA Finals Team Insights

New York Knicks · +28.3%

The largest % gain in the league (52 → 46 → 59). MSG's premium inventory has always commanded a seller's market, but what changed is the Knicks becoming a legitimate Eastern Conference contender, giving brands a cultural reason to act. Several new 7-figure deals landed this season.

San Antonio Spurs · +13.9%

Deals went from 72 → 72 → 82. The Wemby effect is now showing up on the sponsorship sheet, not just the broadcast. San Antonio added Ledger as a first-time NBA jersey patch this season and is attracting category entrants that historically skipped the market.

01c · Top Brands

The brands that show up everywhere.

Excluding league-wide partners, Progressive now leads the non-league field. Hankook's exit reshuffled the entire top 10, Lyft posted the largest single-season gain, and the auto category holds three spots even as the category sheds sponsorship deals overall.

Rank	Brand	Category	Teams	YoY Δ
#1	Progressive Insurance	Insurance	18	+1
#2	Chick-fil-A	Quick Serve Restaurants	16	0
#3	Ford Motor Company	Auto	14	+3
#4	Coca-Cola	Beverage — Non-Alcoholic	13	-1
#5	Toyota	Auto	12	+1
#6	Lyft	Transportation	11	+7
#7	Jack Daniel's	Beverage — Alcohol	11	-2
#8	Lexus	Auto	11	+1
#9	Corona (Constellation Brands)	Beverage — Alcohol	11	-1
#10	Fanatics	Retail	10	+1

Excludes league-wide brands (e.g. NBA 2K, Tissot, State Farm, Michelob Ultra)

Hankook exit · reshuffled the list

Last year's #1 non-league brand vacated entirely — 22 team sponsorship deals to zero. Progressive inherits the top spot not by growing dramatically, but because the previous leader disappeared.

Lyft · 4 → 11 teams

The largest single-season gain in the table (+175%). Likely mechanism: Lyft's national partnership with Oak View Group covering 75+ venue properties, converting team-by-team negotiations into bundled coverage.

Auto · 3 of 10 spots, all growing

Ford (+3), Toyota (+1), and Lexus (+1) are all expanding even as auto posts -31 net sponsorship deals league-wide. The auto decline isn't broad-based: tire brands and regional dealers are pulling back while major OEMs consolidate share inside a shrinking category.

02 · Market Size & Growth

The market is growing — but the real story is depth, not breadth.

Total assets per deal grew nearly 3× faster than deal count. Brands are layering signage, digital, and hospitality inventory on top of existing partnerships rather than opening new ones.

Total team sponsorship deals

2,452

Unique brands

1,661

Avg assets / deal

11.0

Category YoY net new sponsorship deals · 25–26 vs 24–25

The Tech ↔ Auto trade

Technology added +31 net sponsorship deals. Auto shed exactly -31. A near-perfect mirror.

The auto decline isn't broad-based: Hankook and Nexen Tire alone account for 29 of the 31 net exits. Both Korean tire brands redirected spend to tighter strategic fits — Hankook to TGL presented by SoFi, Nexen deepening its Manchester City commitment. Meanwhile AWS activates with Toronto, Paylocity and Motorola anchor Chicago, and Financial Services holds jersey patches in Cleveland and Phoenix. The question is no longer which auto brand a team has — it's which tech company.

What this means for brands

If you're a tire, dealership, or regional auto brand, the NBA has more opportunity after Hankook's exit. If you're enterprise tech, fintech, or AI, the inventory is filling fast and the window is closing.

02b · Jersey Patch Ecosystem

Patch volume normalized. Financial took the inventory.

Now, 29 of 30 teams carry a jersey patch sponsor — up from 27 last season. Seven new patches signed, with 5 of them first-time NBA partners. Financial brands hold 10 of the 29 active patches.

Teams with patch

29 / 30

+2 YoY

New patches

vs 11 in 24–25

First-time NBA

5 of 7

71% net-new brands

Patch switches

ATL · BKN · IND · SAC

Brands on the move · New, switched & vacant jersey patches

Team	Patch sponsor	Category	Status
Atlanta Hawks	Paze	Financial	SWITCHED
Brooklyn Nets	All In Won Med Bill & IT	Business Services	SWITCHED
Charlotte Hornets	Judi Health	Healthcare	NEW PATCH
Indiana Pacers	Lucas Oil	Auto	SWITCHED
LA Clippers	Visit Rwanda	Government	NEW PATCH
Sacramento Kings	Phoong Law Corp	Business Services	SWITCHED
San Antonio Spurs	Ledger	Financial	NEW PATCH
Portland Trail Blazers	— (vacant)	—	VACANT

22 sponsorship deals retained · Portland Trail Blazers slot vacant

Visit Rwanda · LA Clippers

First African tourism brand to hold a NBA jersey patch. Government and tourism boards are now buying patch inventory alongside fintech and healthcare.

Portland opportunity · open patch

Portland is the only team without a patch sponsor after Brightside Windows wasn't renewed in 2025–26. Trail Blazers are actively seeking a partner for 2026–27.

First-Time NBA Partners · 71%

Of the 7 patch brands that were new in the 2025–26 season, 5 are true first-time NBA partners (71%).

02c · New Entrants & Churn

417 new brands entered.

Net brand growth is small. Composition turnover is large. Tech leads new entrants; CPG and international brands are reshaping the long tail.

New entrants by category

The endorsement bar moved. Rookies are now portfolios.

Six of the top 25 most-endorsed NBA athletes are first-year players. Brands now sign athletes during the draft — before they ever play an NBA game.

Headline athlete

Jared McCain

OKC Thunder · 35 unique brand partners

More brand sponsorship deals than any athlete across the major pro sports landscape. 14 distinct categories. For context: LeBron James — 23 seasons in — registers 12 brands.

Athlete-as-investor

Athletes with equity stakes

Examples of current season athletes with equity stake arrangements:

Giannis Antetokounmpo — Superpower Health, Kalshi
Kevin Durant — Spindrift, Paris Saint-Germain
Stephen Curry — Underrated Golf
James Harden — J-Harden Wines
Jayson Tatum — Onside Men's Care
Derrick White — Silver Oak, Spindrift
LeBron James — Fantasy Life

#	Athlete	Followers	Sponsorship Deals	YoY Δ	Key partners
#1	Jared McCain	2.1M	35	+5	Sally Hansen, CeraVe, DoorDash
#2	Karl-Anthony Towns	6.4M	19	-4	Fortnite, Gatorade, Airbnb
#3	Stephen Curry	96.6M	18	0	Unanimous Media, Rakuten, Underrated Golf
#4	Giannis Antetokounmpo	29.4M	14	-2	IM8 Health, Arena Club, Google Pixel
#5	LeBron James	232.8M	12	+2	DraftKings, Indeed, Nike
#6	Josh Hart	1.9M	12	-7	Heineken, Marathon, Mike & Ike
#7	Donovan Mitchell	6.3M	12	+4	CarMax, adidas, NBA 2K
#8	Cooper Flagg	2.1M	11	+1	New Balance, AT&T, Chime
#9	Jimmy Butler	15.2M	11	+1	Alo Yoga, BigFace Brand, Essentia Water
#10	Damian Lillard	18.2M	11	-2	Move, Oakley, adidas

03b · Breakout Players

The next-gen audience is already monetized — or wildly untapped.

Two breakout tables, two paths to the league. Cooper Flagg (collegiate) and Victor Wembanyama (international) are the only breakout-eligible players in the league's top 10 follower-growth list.

Collegiate path

#1Cooper FlaggDuke

Dallas Mavericks

+949K

follower growth

Followers

2.1M

Sponsorship Deals

Growth

84%

#2VJ EdgecombeBaylor

Philadelphia 76ers

+493K

follower growth

Followers

558K

Sponsorship Deals

Growth

752%

#3Stephon CastleUConn

San Antonio Spurs

+286K

follower growth

Followers

488K

Sponsorship Deals

Growth

142%

#4Jalen WilliamsSanta Clara

OKC Thunder

+270K

follower growth

Followers

602K

Sponsorship Deals

Growth

81%

#5Dylan HarperRutgers

San Antonio Spurs

+223K

follower growth

Followers

475K

Sponsorship Deals

Growth

89%

International path

#1Victor WembanyamaFRA

San Antonio Spurs

+882K

follower growth

Followers

5.8M

Sponsorship Deals

Growth

18%

#2Yuki KawamuraJPN

Chicago Bulls

+122K

follower growth

Followers

1.3M

Sponsorship Deals

Growth

11%

#3Hugo GonzalezESP

Boston Celtics

+95K

follower growth

Followers

127K

Sponsorship Deals

Growth

295%

#4Matas BuzelisLTU

Chicago Bulls

+71K

follower growth

Followers

496K

Sponsorship Deals

Growth

17%

#5Nikola TopicSRB

OKC Thunder

+38K

follower growth

Followers

85K

Sponsorship Deals

Growth

81%

What this means

7 of 10 international breakout players have zero current-season brand sponsorship deals. Matas Buzelis sits at half a million followers with no tracked sponsorship deals despite three confirmed partnerships last season. Yuki Kawamura has a signature ASICS shoe while on a two-way contract. The international pipeline is the most underpriced inventory in the report.

04 · Key Storylines

Four narratives that define the 2025–26 cycle.

SPND growth

SPND reached $1.8B — the largest YoY jump in three seasons

The NBA sponsorship market reached $1.8B with revenue growing 5× faster than deal volume — brands aren't just entering, they're paying more to stay. Over 400 new brands joined in a single season, yet retention hit 77% and nearly every multi-team partner renewed — the market is simultaneously acquiring and keeping. The category mix is shifting toward enterprise and B2B: AI/ML tripled, manufacturing doubled, and the most premium inventory (PJP) in the league is now 34% owned by financial brands.

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Top brands

Progressive takes the top spot — the most active non-league brand in the NBA

With Hankook (last year's #1 non-league brand) going from 22 teams to zero, Progressive inherits the top spot at 18 teams. Lyft posted the largest single-season gain in the top 10 (4 → 11 teams, +175%). Auto still holds 3 of the top 10 spots — Ford, Toyota, Lexus all expanding — even as the category sheds sponsorship deals league-wide.

Jersey patch

Now, 29 of 30 teams carry a patch — the league is closing in on full coverage

The jersey patch market moved from 27 of 30 teams in 2024–25 to 29 of 30 in 2025–26, with the Hornets, the Clippers, and Spurs adding first-time patches and only Portland left uncovered after Brightside Windows' expired. 22 patches renewed, 4 switched (ATL, BKN, IND, SAC), and Financial took the largest share of the inventory. Portland is actively in-market for a new jersey patch in the 2026–27 season.

Endorsements

Jared McCain has more brand partners than any athlete in major pro sports

McCain's 35 unique brand partners in 25–26, from Sally Hansen and CeraVe to Airbnb, Amazon, Netflix, Starbucks, Waymo, T-Mobile, and State Farm — lead not just the NBA but every athlete tracked across the major pro sports landscape. 6 of the top 25 most-endorsed NBA athletes are rookies, with Cooper Flagg signing as a HUGO BOSS fashion ambassador before his NBA debut, Dylan Harper headlining a Red Bull content series and a custom Wingstop drop, and Kon Knueppel's Cheez-It 'Double Double' selling out in minutes.

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The NBASponsorshipIntelligence Report

SPND reached $1.8B — the largest YoY jump in three seasons

Progressive takes the top spot — the most active non-league brand in the NBA

Now, 29 of 30 teams carry a patch — the league is closing in on full coverage

Jared McCain has more brand partners than any athlete in major pro sports

Want to learn more?

The NBA
Sponsorship
Intelligence Report