NEW DELHI: The largest US-based crypto exchange Coinbase announced on October 19, a multiyear partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The deal includes other leagues of the NBA, Women National Basketball Association (WNBA), NBA G league, NBA 2K league and USA Basketball as well. Coinbase Global became the exclusive cryptocurrency form to ink such a deal.

With the deal, the exchange aims to educate basketball fans about cryptocurrency, with unique content, innovations, activations and experiences from Coinbase.

Kerry Tatlock, senior vice-president of global marketing partnerships and media at NBA said that Coinbase being a trusted cryptocurrency platform is the obvious choice for being NBA’s first-ever partner in this thriving category.

Tatlock said that the partnership will enhance the experiences of fans and would provide them new ways to engage with the league and each other.

The sponsorship deal of NBA and Coinbase will enable the crypto company to enter into the competitive world of professional sports. This is the first of its kind deal for each league.

Coinbase chief marketing officer, Kate Rouch said that the exchange would employ interactive experiences to engage with the NBA and WNBA sports community and athletes throughout the world.

The logo of Coinbase will be featured in the nationally televised games on the 75th anniversary of NBA, which will mark the beginning of the association’s 2021-2022 season.

About 1.6 million viewers watched NBA regular season games across major networks during the 2019-2020 season according to the data of Statista, Cointelegraph reported.

There have been other crypto firms as well that have made their way into the sports industry because of its massive outreach and appeal.

The Bahamian cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, had earlier signed a $135 million deal for the naming rights on the Miami Heat’s stadium, which is now called FTX Arena. It also partnered with Major League Baseball in June to become the first crypto exchange sponsor in professional sports.

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