Dive Brief:
- The NBA has again teamed with The Coca-Cola Company, naming Sprite its official soft drink partner more than a decade after the lemon-lime soda brand last held that title, according to news shared with Marketing Dive. The deal is effective immediately.
- As part of the multiyear agreement, Sprite will have a presence at the largest NBA tentpole events and international games, serving up experiences, custom content and exclusive promotions. Sprite and the NBA’s history stretches back to the ‘80s, and the brand has continued to work with multiple teams and players like Anthony Edwards since last wielding the league-wide sponsorship.
- The move could mark a blow for Starry, a Sprite rival produced by PepsiCo, which has held the league soft drink sponsorship effectively since its launch three years ago. Analysts have identified Starry as a weak point in PepsiCo’s beverage lineup as the CPG giant faces intensifying pressure for simplification.
Dive Insight:
Coca-Cola’s new pact with the NBA is a homecoming moment for Sprite, which has continued to factor basketball heavily into its marketing despite not holding an official league-wide sponsorship since 2015. Competitor Starry was the official soft drink of the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League in North America since 2023 while the Sprite deal is specifically focused on the NBA.
Sprite and the NBA reuniting comes at a time of massive change for sports media. Viewership is drifting to streaming — the NBA currently has a media rights agreement with Amazon Prime Video around regular-season games that runs into the 2030s — while athlete personalities are developing more of their personal brands on social media. Aligning with these trends is the need for publishers and brands to cater more to digital-first Gen Z audiences, a shift Sprite and the NBA are trying to account for with their collaboration.
“Basketball is central to the DNA of Sprite,” said Manolo Arroyo, executive vice president and global chief marketing officer of The Coca-Cola Company, in a press statement. “Reuniting with the NBA is about co-creating what's next – experimenting with new fan experiences, exploring emerging formats, and meeting the next generation where they are.”
Previously, Coca-Cola teamed with the pro basketball organization in 1986 for a partnership that spanned nearly three decades and resulted in some indelible marketing for Sprite, including the brand’s iconic “Obey Your Thirst” campaign. In addition, Sprite acted as title sponsor of the Slam Dunk Contest at the NBA All-Star weekend between 2003 and 2016.
Sprite has maintained a high profile in basketball culture, working with 17 NBA teams and recently releasing co-branded, limited-time cans in collaboration with some of those partners. Edwards has also played a leading role in Sprite’s creative, particularly since it resurrected the “Obey Your Thirst” messaging in 2024 to better engage Gen Z consumers. Sprite is doubling down its relationship with Edwards through the new sponsorship, viewing the Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard as representative of a “new generation of global stars whose influence extends beyond the court,” the release said.
Sprite’s gain could be Starry’s loss, as the basketball tie-up was a key piece of the PepsiCo brand’s 2023 launch. Starry, a replacement for Sierra Mist in the PepsiCo beverages portfolio, has been cited as a laggard as the CPG giant faces pressure to cull underperforming brands. Sister brand Mountain Dew was the prior NBA soft drink sponsor dating back to 2015 while other PepsiCo offerings, including Gatorade, continue to work with the league.
