US sports performance and apparel brands McDavid and Shock Doctor have agreed to become sponsors of the Australian National Basketball League.
McDavid will be the official compression apparel of the NBL, with Shock Doctor serving in the official mouth guard category.
Terms for the multi-year deals with the two companies that recently merged to form United Sports Brands were not disclosed.
The agreement marks the first time that McDavid or Shock Doctor will have an overall league presence in Australia, with Australian NBL clubs being supplied for training and game days. The New Zealand Breakers team will begin using compression wear from the 2016-17 season.
McDavid will receive naming rights to digital content pushed out via the NBL’s new media channels, which will track the recovery of the league’s injured stars.
The NBL is undertaking an expansion in its commercial and broadcast operation since being bought by Melbourne businessman Larry Kestelman in June. Last week it announced that its 2015-16 fixtures would be spread across a five-day Wednesday to Sunday game week in an attempt to rival cricket’s Big Bash League in the Australian summer sports marketplace.