GERMAN SOFTWARE company SAP has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The agreement will see SAP become the official business analytics software partner of the NBA and will also cover the Women’s NBA and the NBA Development League, as well as extending to several international markets, including Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India and Russia.
Under the terms of the partnership SAP will implement its new HANA platform to develop an “unprecedented statistical experience” for NBA fans.
The platform will enable the league to bring virtually unlimited amounts of official statistical information directly to fans via the NBA’s official website – a service which was only previously available to NBA employees and select media members.
“We are constantly researching new and emerging technologies in an effort to provide our fans with new ways to connect with our game,” said NBA commissioner David Stern.
“SAP is a leader in providing innovative software solutions and an ideal partner to provide a dynamic and comprehensive statistical offering as fans interact with NBA basketball on a global basis.”
The deal with the NBA completes a great week for SAP commercially. The brand gained extensive global exposure as golfer Ernie Els, ambassador for the company, secured his fourth major tournament victory by winning the Open Championship last weekend.
The Big Easy has worn the SAP logo on his hat and competition clothing since 2002.