As I shared with you earlier today, the NBA recently decided to allow advertisements on jerseys. While the league will only permit the sale of one 2-inch-by-2-inch space (a patch, basically) for the time being, I think we all know damn well that this is just the beginning of a uniform transformation that’ll have NBA jerseys lookin’ like Nascars.
As a collector of jerseys and someone who loves what pure aspects of our game that still remain, I’m not a fan of this move. Still, I couldn’t help but consider a few potential sponsorships when the hashtag #NBAAds began to trend on Twitter (shout-out to @NBAStreets). While I’m sure each player will have to promote the same product as the rest of his teammates, here are some partnerships I’d suggest (photoshops included) in the case that the league ever allowed brands to cut deals with specific athletes.
Earl Boykins—MaxTall: Earl Boykins was a solid NBA player at 5’5”. Imagine what he’ll be capable of when he and MaxTall team up for a comeback at 5’8”.
Kendrick Perkins—McDonalds: McDonald’s… the fast food chain that’s about all things happy. Kendrick Perkins… the basketball player who has never cracked a smile, ever. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the irony of this partnership would draw attention to McDonalds’ product.
Tim Duncan—Powerade: We know damn well Timmy doesn’t like Gatorade, and his squeaky-clean image would make him an excellent brand ambassador. This is a no-brainer.
Kurt Thomas—AARP: ‘Cause the dude is f@cking old.
Dwight Howard—ADT Home Defense Systems: Aside from hiring Dwight Howard to guard your home, ADT is the best thing going!
Russell Westbrook—LensCrafters: “Were you able to find any frames that suit you, Mr. Westbrook?” “Uh, yeah… I’ll take the red ones, but hold the lenses.”
Jeremy Lin—P.F. Chang’s: They could make up some story about how Lin was subsisting solely on P.F. Chang’s frozen dinners as he crashed on Landry Fields’ famous couch. Or maybe they wouldn’t have to make it up.
Dwyane Wade—Revlon: Dudes are dressing more and more like women by the day. Revlon ought to capitalize on this trend by inking a deal with Dwyane Wade, who would make it cool for men to paint their nails.
Greg Oden—Hoveround: I think it’s pretty clear that Greg Oden will never live up to his draft position, but imagine the marketing possibilities for Hoveround if they could help the former college superstar overcome injury and play NBA basketball in one of those things?
Chris Bosh—The Land Before Time: Do they still make those movies? I remember being in grade school when the teacher would be like, “alright kids, we’re going to watch a movie today… the Land Before Time!“ Hearing that sh!t was like finding out you’d won the lottery.
Got your own partnership idea? Send it to me on Twitter (@NBA247OFFICIAL), or leave a comment.
