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NEW YORK — Nike’s new chief executive officer Elliott Hill made the cross-country trek to New York on Monday night to help the company announce an extended long-term global agreement with the NBA and WNBA and the NBA G League.
During a 90-minute presentation at its New York City headquarters, the company paraded out some of the sport’s big names including WNBA stars A’ja Wilson, Sue Bird and Caitlin Clark, who joined virtually, Sabrina Ionescu, who led the New York Liberty to the WNBA championship on Sunday night, along with NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who also appeared on camera. The athletes discussed their love of the sport and offered up suggestions on how it could continue to grow. That included serving as role models for young girls and boys, and embracing the newfound energy surrounding the sport, particularly the WNBA, which just capped off a season where it set viewership and attendance records.
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Part of maintaining the momentum will fall to Nike, which has extended its rights over 12 additional seasons to design and manufacture NBA, WNBA and G League uniforms, on-court apparel and fan apparel.
“Nike has always been more than a league sponsor — we’re a strategic partner with an unwavering commitment to growing the game, alongside the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League,” said Hill. “Our collective power, global reach and genuine love for the game will only continue to create new pathways and opportunities for players and fans.”
At the event, the CEO, who is being charged to reignite the spark at the country’s largest sports brand, said that over the past 50-plus years of Nike’s existence, “It’s been very much about putting the athlete at the center of the conversation. That helps drive the innovation around product, the storytelling, etc. So we’ll continue to do to do that. It’s always been about growth and growing the sport around the world. As it relates to to our partnership, it’s very much in the same vein . . . to try to extend the game of basketball beyond the elite athlete to grassroots, men’s, women’s, boys, girls, different formats, three on three — go down the list. Internationally is also a big piece of how we grow the game of basketball. And I would add moving beyond just on-court to lifestyle and the culture of basketball.”
The deal also includes new content initiatives, a renewed commitment to grassroots basketball, as well as the continued development of a joint membership program that delivers benefits to fans of the brands through products, content and experiences, Nike said.