Wilson Takes Over NBA Ball Deal from Spalding
In what may the first sign of the new financial muscle behind it, Wilson will be taking over the contract from Spalding as the official basketball of the NBA starting with the 2021-22 season. Spalding had held the rights since 1983 but Wilson produced the NBA balls from 1946 until then. The last eight-year deal with Spalding was for $125 million, and rights for all NBA sponsorships have soared since that period. The ESPN/Turner broadcast deal tripled in 2014 to $24 billion over nine years and Nike’s apparel deal at $1 billion over eight years starting in 2017/18 more than ... Log in to view full article.