Kia is on the current NBA sponsor roster.getty images
Which telecommunications company has been an NBA sponsor? All of them.
AT&T was a league partner from 1992 to 2004, except a lapse at the beginning of the 2003-04 season, before reconnecting midseason for rights in the long-distance, local and collect categories (remember 1-800 CALL ATT?) and long-distance categories. Meanwhile, rival Verizon nabbed wireless rights from 2002-05 before Nokia replaced AT&T from 2004-06. Don’t hang up yet, because that was just as T-Mobile’s 2005-11 tenure led to Sprint’s four-season stint, which set the stage for Verizon’s three-year sequel, from 2015-18. All to set up AT&T’s comeback, which is about to begin its third season.
Other notable blue-chip partnerships over the years:
Coca-Cola had been the league’s official soft drink sponsor for nearly three decades, promoting primarily its Sprite brand, before Pepsi took over in 2015. Pepsi has put most of its weight behind the Mountain Dew line.
■ Coca-Cola (1986-2015)
■ PepsiCo (2015-present)
Similarly, Miller had been the league’s official beer sponsor for 17 seasons before Anheuser-Busch jumped in once the lockout-delayed 1998-99 season began. A-B last summer began highlighting its Michelob Ultra brand, after years of promoting Budweiser and Bud Light.
■ Miller Brewing (1981-1998)
■ Anheuser-Busch (1999-present)
Taco Bell is heading into its 13th season as an official sponsor, after unseating the golden arches’ longtime partnership.
■ McDonald’s (1990-2009)
■ Taco Bell (2009-present)
In March 2005, Toyota became an NBA marketing partner, the league’s first in the automobile space. In January 2008, Kia signed a three-year deal to become the league’s official automotive partner, putting two brands in the showroom until the end of the season.
■ Toyota (March 2005-08)
■ Kia (2008-present)
The league has only had one credit card partner … twice. American Express joined the fold in time for the 1995 postseason and exited a decade later. The category sat vacant until the company returned in 2010.
■ American Express (May 1995-2005; 2010-present)
