The development competition of the NBA North American basketball league, the D-League, has signed a title-sponsorship deal with PepsiCo-owned isotonic drinks brand Gatorade.
The brand, a founding partner of the D-League, has agreed a multi-year expansion to its association with the competition, which will be known as the NBA Gatorade League (NBA G-league) from the 2017-18 season.
The agreement marks the first time a US professional sports league has named a title sponsor. A new NBA G-League logo has been unveiled following the announcement. The logo will be featured across all game balls, team jerseys, on-court signage and league digital assets.
Gatorade’s product and equipment innovations will also have a presence in clubs’ locker rooms, while teams will have the opportunity to collaborate with Gatorade to help players maximise their potential and performance.
Programmes will be developed to enhance player sports performance and recovery, with scientists from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute to partner with the league on nutrition and training initiatives. Behind-the-scenes video content will also be produced.
Brett O’Brien, senior vice-president and general manager at Gatorade, said: “We have more than 50 years of experience working with athletes and using those insights to help improve athletic performance through innovative sports fuel and equipment.
“This expansion of our NBA partnership is a great opportunity to not only work with the elite athletes of the NBA G-League, but also continue to lead the evolution of basketball performance.”
A record 25 teams will compete in the 2017-18 D-League season.