“The NBA continues to excel in attracting brands, evident in the record high sponsorship spend and continuous year-over-year spend increase,” said Bob Lynch, SponsorUnited founder and CEO.
For Walker, heading into the NBA feels like resetting his personal brand. While his experience with NIL deals helped him and his team build a professional public presence that brands felt comfortable interacting with, building his NBA career starts the process anew. The Philips Norelco deal is part of that, but eventually, Walker would like to reach a place where brands like Uggs, Netflix, Hulu, Goldfish and Gushers—which he’d interact with anyway and would be a natural endorsement fit—would consider him as a partner.
“It’s like a mutual kind of thing—making sure we’re both on the same page with the same ideas,” Walker said.
Dick, meanwhile, reached a pre-draft deal with Chipotle that resulted in a custom burrito bowl with his name on it. When it came to joining Team OneBlade, Dick already had an idea of what brands fit the brand he’d build for himself at Kansas and what strategy he’d use with brand partners going forward.
“The best advice I was given doing this NIL stuff was, when you’re going out looking at brands you want to partner with, look at the things you use on a daily basis—the daily necessities, “ he said. “Just having a daily routine—and a part of that is grooming and making sure you look presentable—and making deals like that, who’s better for that than Philips Norelco?”
Shot callers
Why will more brands be drawn to Walker, Dick and other draftees once their names are called? According to SponsorUnited, NBA players have social media influence roughly 2.5 times that of other professional sports athletes—with even greater reach on Instagram.
More than 300 brands tied their NBA sponsorship to messages of social equality, environmental stewardship, community support, health and empowerment. That makes NBA players leaders in purpose-driven marketing, which has increased 25% leaguewide during the last year.
“The game’s best players are just as influential on the court as off the court,” Lynch said. “As NBA fans interact more and more with their favorite players, brands are presented with an unparalleled opportunity to form deeper connections with their audiences through endorsements.”
