NBA Development League teams will have the logo of league sponsor BBVA on their uniforms during the postseason as part of an expanded partnership with the Spain-based financial institution.
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Rendering shows how BBVA's logo is being displayed.
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BBVA, which is also an NBA marketing partner, will put its logo on the back of the jerseys above the numbers of each of the eight D-League playoff teams beginning this week.
The jersey deal, along with presenting sponsorship of the D-League’s postseason, marks BBVA’s most active support of the D-League. League officials would not disclose the financial arrangements of the deal.
“It is a unique [logo] placement about the size of a player’s name on the back of the jersey in an area where fans will clearly see the mark,” said D-League President Dan Reed.
It is the first time the D-League will have a leaguewide marketing partner’s logo on the team jerseys other than Adidas, the league’s official uniform supplier. The move also marks another step in the NBA’s test of jersey sponsorship.
BBVA put its logo on the front of the jerseys for the WNBA Seattle Storm and Atlanta Dream for the 2010 WNBA Finals. Three D-League teams — the Erie BayHawks, Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Texas Legends — had local jersey sponsorship deals this year.
The Bayhawks are the only one of those three teams to make the playoffs and the team’s deal with a local health care provider will not be affected because it appears on the front of the Bayhawks’ jersey.
The D-League’s jersey deal with BBVA comes as NBA owners consider a jersey sponsorship deal of their own. They were expected to discuss the issue at the NBA’s board of governors meeting held last week.
The D-League has been a laboratory for the NBA in testing products, including uniforms and basket stanchions, as well as rules. “We are the research and development department for the NBA, and I don’t think this is any different,” Reed said.
BBVA’s activation around the postseason sponsorship includes floor logos, pole pads and rotational signage in each arena during the playoffs and finals.
“The exposure we get from presenting the playoffs and the finals, especially with our logo displayed prominently on the player jerseys, is a huge step in building the BBVA brand,” said Sheiludis Moyett, BBVA Compass senior vice president and director of brand and advertising.
All D-League postseason games are streamed live on the league’s website, and at least four games will be shown on NBA TV. Other broadcast plans were pending.
