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adidas become exclusive uniform and apparel provider for NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League
The adidas Group and the National Basketball Association have signed an 11- year strategic global merchandising partnership that will make the adidas brand the official uniform and apparel provider for the NBA, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the NBA Development League (DLeague) beginning with the 2006-07 NBA season.
The new merchandising relationship with adidas, a marketing partner of the NBA since 2002, comes as a result of the Group’s January 2006 acquisition of Reebok International Ltd., the NBA’s exclusive uniform and apparel provider since 2001 and includes rights to sell apparel as well as casual and performance footwear in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia. The Reebok brand will continue to be a global marketing partner of the NBA and will maintain the ability to create NBA branded footwear.
“As part of the Reebok integration we as a Group made this strategic decision, which we believe will significantly help us to immediately increase the visibility of adidas as a sport performance brand in the U.S.,” said adidas Group Chairman and CEO Herbert Hainer. “In the long term this new 11-year partnership has the power to make the NBA and adidas synonymous in basketball.” adidas and the NBA will also team up at retail with an increased adidas presence at the world’s only NBA Store, on Fifth Avenue in New York City, by creating an adidas-NBA concept shop that will be the prototype for additional retail development around the world. Adidas will also sell NBA products throughout its retail locations around the world including the 2,100 adidas franchise stores in China.
adidas and the NBA plan to support the partnership through an integrated mix of global marketing and media initiatives, including NBA Europe Live presented by EA Sports in 2006 and 2007, as well as grassroots events and branded media programs throughout the 215 countries in which the league distributes content.
