The Sacramento Kings have followed the Philadelphia 76ers to become the second NBA team to land a jersey sponsorship. On Monday, the team announced that it has reached an agreement with Blue Diamond Growers to put their logo on the Kings' jerseys and court in the 2017-18 season. The Sixers' jerseys are sponsored by Stubhub.
From the press release:
"For decades, Blue Diamond almonds have been one of Sacramento's most well-known products around the country," said Kings President Chris Granger. "We are proud of this community's history of high-quality agriculture - it's why we've committed to supporting local producers by using locally sourced food in our arena and why our players are proud to showcase the Blue Diamond brand on the court and around the league."
Though the partnership, Blue Diamond and the Kings will be one of the first to experiment with the NBA's industry-leading jersey sponsorship pilot program. Beginning in the 2017 season, a Blue Diamond logo will be incorporated in all of the Sacramento Kings uniforms.
Blue Diamond will also join the Kings for their inaugural season at Golden 1 Center - the world's first LEED Platinum indoor arena -- as they seek to transform Sacramento and the region beyond. Beginning with the 2016-17 season, the Blue Diamond Almond Breeze logo will appear on the court apron below the visitor and Kings benches. Fans will find select menu items that feature high-quality Blue Diamond almonds, as well as Blue Diamond Almond Breeze beverages at arena kiosks.
The Kings will make $15 million over three years for the ads, according to the Sports Business Journal's John Lombardo and Terry Lefton. Those are the same numbers that were reported for the Sixers' deal with Stubhub. Imagine what a team like the Golden State Warriors, with all their national television exposure, are going to make by selling that same small space on their uniforms.
