The NBA is planning to put a sponsored patch "with a Kia Motors Corp. logo on the upper left chest of player jerseys" for both the '16 and '17 All-Star games, according to Sara Germano of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The patch, "part of an advertising buy between media rights holder Turner Sports and sponsor Kia Motors America, will also appear on All-Star jerseys available for retail sale." It will "mark the first time that one of the four major American professional sports will display a non-apparel logo on jerseys during a game." NBA Exec VP/Global Marketing Partnerships Emilio Collins: "It’s something we’ve been looking at for a number of years." Collins when asked if jersey ads are coming for regular-season NBA games said, "We continue to work on that beyond All-Star, with all the considerations we have to factor in." He added that the jersey ads during preseason games "will be evaluated as a test-run." Germano notes the arrangement "was brokered between the league and Turner Sports." Turner Sports Exec VP/Ad Sales & Marketing Jon Diament said that a provision for sponsored jersey patches "was included in the contract between the NBA and Turner Sports when it was negotiated last year" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/29).
