In this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Terry Lefton notes Kumho Tire has renewed its NBA deal and will "roll out a new marketing platform centered on ball handling, with dribbling a basketball linked to Kumho’s road-handling abilities." Kumho Tire has been a league sponsor since '14. Other NBA sponsors "close to completing renewals include Taco Bell," a sponsor since '09, and Foot Locker, which has had NBA rights since '13 (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/24 issue). Kumho Tire will continue to serve as the presenting sponsor of the NBA D-League All-Star Game, with its logo featured on jerseys and courtside signage. The company will also have brand presence at the NBA All-Star Game (Kumho Tire).
EASTERN INFLUENCE: In Minnesota, Nick Halter notes the T'Wolves have "landed a sponsorship" with China-based television maker TCL that gives the company "exposure to more U.S. consumers and also put the company in the backyard" of Minneapolis-based Target and Best Buy. TCL, who sold 20 million televisions last year, will get "naming rights to the team's premium Theater Boxes as well as a yet-to-be-announced club." The deal came around the time the T'Wolves announced the team's new Minority Owner Lizhang "John" Jiang bought a 5% stake in the team, "making him the first person from China to own a slice of an NBA franchise." Terms of the deal "were not disclosed," but T'Wolves Senior VP & Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Tanke said that the "partnership is long term" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/24).
BEAR TRAP: The Grizzlies and Mississippi-based wireless service provider C Spire have "finalized a multiyear extension of their sponsorship agreement" that was first signed in '11. Terms of the new agreement were not disclosed, but it will "continue to include advertising and signage in FedExForum." C Spire will also "continue to be the official wireless provider of the Grizzlies" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/24).
FLAT BILL: New Era and the NBA announced an expanded global licensing partnership that will make the brand the official headwear provider of the NBA, WNBA and NBA D-League (New Era).
