The Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks announced on Tuesday, the opening day of the NBA’s 2023-24 season, new jersey patch partnerships with Ibotta and Sphere Entertainment, respectively.
Ibotta, a Denver-based marketing platform and cash back rewards provider, now adds a second team to its portfolio, as it has also advertised on the New Orleans Pelicans’ uniforms since 2020-21.
The company’s logo will appear on the Nuggets’ Association, Icon, Statement and City Edition uniforms for the next three seasons, beginning with tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Having been founded and headquartered here in Denver since 2011, we are deeply committed to our local community and thrilled to have a partner that shares our love for the city,” Ibotta founder and CEO Bryan Leach said.
Ibotta replaces Western Union, a locally based wire-transfer company, as the Nuggets’ jersey sponsor. The company’s logo has appeared on their uniforms since 2017-18, when the league first approved the sale of jersey space.
Meanwhile, the Knicks – who did not have a jersey patch partner last season after five seasons with website building and hosting company Squarespace – will now have an advertisement for the entertainment venue that recently opened in Las Vegas.
Both Sphere Entertainment and the Knicks are notably owned by Madison Square Garden Sports, which makes this partnership a cross-promotion between executive chairman James Dolan’s companies.
“The MSG family of companies has an unrivaled portfolio of premium assets, and we are committed to ensuring that the strength of our brands and unique global reach continue to benefit one another in powerful ways,” said MSG Sports president and COO David Hopkinson.
“This pairing brings together two globally-recognized brands – a revolutionary new venue that is literally changing the way people experience live entertainment, and one of the most recognized franchises in professional sports – to create an innovative partnership at the intersection of sports and entertainment.”
The Sphere patch will appear on New York’s uniforms beginning with Wednesday night’s opener against the Boston Celtics, though financial terms and the length of the deal were not announced.