NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said the introduction of jersey sponsorship in the North American basketball league is “inevitable,” adding the move would allow sponsors to counter the trend of skipping adverts during game broadcasts.
The prospect of introducing jersey sponsorship in the NBA has long been a topic of discussion. While Major League Soccer has embraced the concept of shirt sponsorship, the NBA, along with major league counterparts the NFL, MLB and NHL, remains united in its use of brand-free kit, with the exception of the marks of sportswear partners.
Silver told the Dan Patrick radio show in the US: “Maybe it’s because I spent so many years of my two decades here selling the NBA internationally and traveling internationally, but it is so commonplace for soccer clubs around the world and basketball clubs as well outside the United States.
“In this day and age of non-live programing where people are using their DVR and skipping through commercials it’s just that much more of an opportunity for our sponsors to get that much closer to our game, to be close to our athletes. When it comes to advertising on jerseys, it’s inevitable.”
Silver said last month that NBA fans should expect to see sponsor logos on uniforms within the next five years.