The Raptors won the NBA Partnership of the Year award given out at this week’s league meetings held during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. The team won for their campaign with GoDaddy that included a content-based theme with Raptors C Jonas Valanciunas acting as a fictitious small-business owner looking to grow his company by using GoDaddy’s new website builder product. The campaign, which also featured appearances by C Lucas Nogueira and F Patrick Patterson, highlighted a contest for small business owners along with a charity component. The campaign delivered 580 million total impressions across TV, digital and social media, according to the NBA. The Cavaliers won two NBA Team Partnership awards -- the NBA Pitch of the Year related to their jersey patch deal with Goodyear, and the NBA Best Relationship Management Plan, which recognized the team for its 365-day business approach to its sponsors. The league also named Hornets VP/Guest Services & Event Staffing Marlene Hendricks as the first recipient of the inaugural Pete Winemiller Guest Experience Innovation Award. All 30 NBA teams were asked to submit a nomination in each category, with the winners selected by reps from league and team execs. Meanwhile, former Lakers VP/PR John Black has been named the recipient of the '17 Splaver/McHugh "Tribute to Excellence" Award. The award is given out by the NBA PR Directors Association. Black had been with the Lakers for more than 27 years before leaving this February.
