The NBA’s board of governors has approved an additional sponsorship patch for team uniform sets for the 2021-22 season, with the upcoming shooting shirt patch program allowing teams to include branded sponsor patches on both team shooting shirts and warm-up jackets.
Teams can add an existing jersey patch program partner’s logo to their shooting shirts, or look to begin negotiations with a new corporate marketing partner that will receive visibility on the set of warm-up tops.
Any new agreements for a shooting shirt patch program ad sponsor will have to be reviewed and approved by the league, making an early 2022 debut on apparel more likely as the process begins. If a team opts not to incorporate a marketing partner’s logo along its shooting shirt or warm-up jacket, each franchise could instead place a team initiative slogan in that real estate.
The new additional patch will be 3 inches by 3 inches, and be located either on the currently blank right sleeve, opposite the league’s NBA 75th diamond logo, or on the left chest, adjacent to the existing team logo location. Logo placement will be a team-by-team decision.
The newly approved shooting shirt patch program is an extension of the league’s jersey patch program that launched at the start of the 2017-18 season. That program allowed for the addition of a 2.6876″ x 3.25″-sized sponsor patch to the front shoulder of each team’s uniform.
By April 2019, the board of governors approved an indefinite extension on the jersey patch program, extending out beyond the pilot program’s initial three-year trial period. Ahead of last season, the league also approved the addition of a sponsor’s logo across the front lower half of team practice uniforms.
“We’ve seen tremendous growth from this asset of revenue and the caliber of brands, both domestic and global, that are partnering with our teams,” said Amy Brooks, NBA president of team marketing and business operations and chief innovation officer.
This season, 28 of the league’s 30 teams feature a jersey patch on the shoulder of their uniforms, with the Wizards and Grizzlies still in search of their next patch partner.
The program has generated around $5 million-$10 million in additional revenue for some teams each season, with the Lakers and Warriors each generating $20 million per year for their league-highest sponsorship deals with Bibigo and Rakuten.
Going forward, the visibility of corporate partner logos on team uniform pieces will be expanded, with the shooting shirt patch program adding to the existing jersey patch program.
“It’s been a success,” Brooks said. “Revenue not being the only metric to this, a big reason why we launched [the uniform patch program] is because the NBA is a global brand, many of our partners are global brands, and we felt like this was an opportunity to grow both the NBA and our partners’ brands and businesses globally.”