NBA extends Gatorade partnership

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has announced a long-term extension of its partnership with PepsiCo for its sports-themed brand Gatorade.

The partnership has been extended for a further eight years and will grant Gatorade sideline visibility during all NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals games.

Additionally, Gatorade will hold on to its role of Founding Partner of the WNBA as well as the lead sponsorship of the G League.

Gatorade will continue to work with several NBA and WNBA teams and conduct their “sweat testing”. Gatorade’s parent company, PepsiCo, will hold on to the role of the Official Chip of the NBA, and its potato chips brand Ruffles will sponsor the celebrity game during the All-Star weekend.

The partnership, which is over four decades old, will see Gatorade continue to hold the water rights and serve as an international NBA partner, while also enjoying branding at post-game news conferences. 

On the Gatorade renewal, Kerry Tatlock, the NBA’s Head of Global Partnerships and Media, said:

“I really credit Gatorade for remaining in that authentic position and not necessarily wanting to be something else, except for what they’re meant to be, which is our true hydration partner and really help enabling players to be better. And we’ve really valued that for our entire relationship and, frankly, have seen it grow… And as we’ve grown internationally, Gatorade has come with us, which has been terrific, and we’ve done great things together.“

Brett O’Brien, Chief Sports Officer at PepsiCo, added:

“The NBA and Gatorade go together, that’s for sure. I think that, to us, encapsulated the excitement of the NBA, of this emerging talent that people were just fascinated by. And Gatorade as a piece of that was a real endemic piece of what made him fly.“