NBA Marketing Notes: League Partners On New Men’s Line

NBA Partners With Colony Sportswear For Menswear Collection

The NBA has partnered with Colony Sportswear “to create a menswear collection of jackets, ties and dress shirts” under the name 52nd & 5th, according to Sarah Talalay of the South Florida SUN-SENTINEL. The name comes from the location of the NBA Store in Manhattan. Items include navy worsted wool or black leather jackets with the team’s logo embroidered into the jackets’ lining that retail for $348 and $648, respectively. Striped ties with the team logos sell for $39.50. Dress shirts “come in three styles and include French cuffs and silk knots in team colors or logos at the cuff or in the weave” and retail for $87.50-89.50 (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 11/6).

CLASSICAL MUSIC: In Akron, Kerry Clawson reports the Cavaliers next month will make available for sale their “Swingman” jersey, which was worn in the ’86-87 season. The club plans to begin selling the jerseys, which retail for $85 and are part of the NBA’s Hardwood Classics line, in early December. The Cavaliers will wear the jerseys for six home games “and some away games,” beginning December 6 against the Raptors (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 11/4).

WADING IN: BRANDWEEK’s Barry Janoff reports a survey conducted in late October by California-based E-Poll Market Research found 65% of respondents either “liked” Heat G Dwyane Wade or “liked him a lot,” while 3% said they “disliked him” and 2% said he was “overexposed.” Wade’s “likeable” score jumped 9% from a January survey. E-Poll surveys 1,100 people per week and has research on the public’s opinions of 2,300 athletes and celebrities (BRANDWEEK, 11/6 issue).