Amid Super Bowl and Olympic season, some brands go all in on NBA All-Star

Some NBA fans may be less than thrilled with the league’s All-Star Game in recent years, but even though viewership has been trending downward, brand presence seems to be heading in the opposite direction.

There will be more than 60 brands activating at this year’s All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, which is among the highest number of sponsors the event has ever seen, if not a record, according to Lauren Sullivan, SVP and head of partner management at the NBA. All-Star Weekend has been beloved by brands for years: In 2024, marketers described it as the “crown jewel” and “the Super Bowl of the NBA.” There was no shortage of sponsors last year, either.

With so much competition for fans’ attention on the ground, never mind the viewership battle with the Winter Olympics, this year’s All-Star brands are tapping into tried-and-true sports sponsorship strategies like player partnerships, fashion collabs, and community-oriented activations.

“The brands who really embrace what is unique to them as a brand and their unique offering to fans are the ones that people remember,” Sullivan told Marketing Brew.

Kings of the court

Many of this year’s All-Stars are likely looking at jam-packed schedules for the next few days, and not only in terms of their on-court activities:

• Foot Locker is hosting a multi-day experience featuring sneaker drops and other content, with Jayson Tatum and Lonzo Ball set to appear;
• American Express, which recently renewed its NBA sponsorship, is offering cardholders the opportunity to meet Norman Powell and Stephon Castle;
• AT&T’s “Dunk District” pop-up in Venice Beach will feature NBA legends Chris Paul, Baron Davis, and Jason Terry;
• And Spotify tapped Cade Cunningham to help lead its All-RapCaviar event based on the brand’s popular RapCaviar playlist and franchise.

It’s no secret that “authenticity” has become something of a buzzword in sports sponsorships, and it’s something brands are striving for all weekend long. To achieve it, Sullivan said some marketers are embracing the “off-the-court interests” of player partners.

Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has worked with AT&T in the past, is known for his style, and AT&T plans to spotlight his ties to fashion with an experience that includes plenty of merch. Spotify recruited Cunningham because “he’s deeply embedded in hip-hop culture,” Carl Chery, creative director and head of urban music at Spotify, told us.

“We’ve been strategic with engaging RapCaviar’s audience through adjacent cultures they care about, like fashion, gaming, and, of course, basketball,” Chery said in an email. “Working with Cade will give us visibility in a world where we have less of a footprint.”

Some brands have preexisting relationships with players prior to ASW, and others can connect with players via the league. This year, a handful of marketers are also activating via the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), which is putting on a three-day “members-only pop-up” called Plyrs House, with experiences largely created for and by the athletes, according to Keisha Wright, the NBPA’s SVP of brand partnerships.

The PA is selective about the brands it chooses to work with, she said; NBA 2K, Canyon Ranch, Maker’s Mark, and Crowned Skin are among the companies that will have a presence at Plyrs House this year. While partnering with the PA represents a more targeted marketing approach, it could help brands earn “the true influence and credibility of players,” Wright said.

“The brands that want to associate with us are looking for that culture, that community, the credibility,” she said.

Style stars

There’s no talking about basketball without fashion, and this weekend, it’ll be a major component of several brands’ activations:

• The Foot Locker Takeover includes shoe displays drops from companies including Nike, Jordan Brand, and Converse.
• Amex and Fanatics are setting up a “Real Vintage Vault” in Venice, where fans can buy vintage NBA gear like jackets, sweatshirts, and t-shirts.
• AT&T’s collab with Gilgeous-Alexander features totes, phone cases, t-shirts, and skate decks designed by local artists, as well as limited-edition t-shirts designed by Thomasi Gilgeous-Alexander, Shai’s brother.
• Spotify is offering custom jerseys to fans at its event.

Slam, a basketball media and commerce company, is leaning into its LeagueFits fashion vertical at ASW, Head of Integrated Marketing Joshua Frohlinger said. The property lends itself to activations and tends to draw a lot of partnership interest year-round, he said.

This year, Slam is teaming up with Sephora, True Religion, and sneaker brand And1 for All-Star events, and leveraging long-term relationships with players to help with the goal of “authentically showing up in the right places [and] making noise,” Frohlinger told us.

“There’s a lot of players on LeagueFits that move the needle who aren’t necessarily NBA starters,” he said. “There will be a player on LeagueFits that gets more engagement than an All-Star-level player.”

Local love

Since ASW moves around each year, there are opportunities for the league and its sponsors to engage with the local community. NBA Crossover, the league’s All-Star fan experience, helps make the event accessible to more fans in the area, Sullivan said, and some brands add charitable components to their campaigns to give back to the community.

• On Sunday, the NBA is partnering with Evernorth Health Services for the second annual NBA Total Health All-Star Walk, where Evernorth is offering free services like skin-cancer screenings.
• State Farm, the official sponsor of the 3-point contest, will donating $15,000 to Habitat for Humanity for every “Deep Shot” scored during the event.
• The NBPA and NBA 2K are partnering with GoFundMe to help amplify the fundraising efforts of their charity 2v2 tournament, Wright said.

While tactics like player collabs, merch drops, and charitable events are well-loved each year, Sullivan said there’s sure to be some unexpected activations as well, perhaps from new NBA partners like Xfinity and CeraVe.

“There’s always one or two partners that will pop up new and start to figure out how to unlock that fanbase to really get their brand top of mind,” she said.