Spons-O-Meter: NBA Enters Season With 26 League-Level Partnerships

The NBA heads into the '18-19 season with 26 league-level partners, unchanged from last season. Beats by Dre is in its first full season as an NBA league sponsor, covering the audio, headphone and wireless speaker markets. Beats replaces Harman/JBL, which had been a league sponsor since '14. Also in the first season of a multiyear deal is MGM Resorts Int'l, which serves as the league's official gaming partner. The landmark partnership will see MGM Resorts use official NBA data and branding across its land-based and digital sports betting offerings in the U.S. YouTube TV also joins the roster this season as the league's streaming service partner, following its multiyear agreement in March to serve as the first presenting sponsor of the NBA Finals. Cisco, which had been a league sponsor since '07, is not returning in the IT and networking solutions category. The league's banking category also remains vacant, as BBVA did not renew its deal last season. The list below also excludes any NBA deals that are considered promotional partnerships.