The NBA’s Developmental League has gone through several changes to increase popularity, and another one will happen next season. According to E.J. Shultz of Adage, the NBA D-League will formally go through a rebranding starting Tuesday morning. Gatorade is reportedly a sponsor and will help rename the D-League to the “G-League.” This comes on the heels of the NBA filing for a “G-League” internet domain on February 8th, the first hint that change was on the horizon.
The following comes from an official NBA press release.
Beginning with the 2017-18 season, the NBA Development League (NBA D-League) will be renamed the NBA Gatorade League (NBA G-League) as part of a multiyear expanded partnership announced today by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Gatorade. This marks the first time a U.S. professional sports league has named an entitlement partner.
As part of the partnership, the NBA and Gatorade unveiled a new NBA G-League logo that will be featured across all game balls, team jerseys, oncourt signage, and league digital assets. Additionally, Gatorade will incubate its latest product and equipment innovations into NBA G-League locker rooms, and teams will have the opportunity to collaborate with Gatorade to help players maximize their athletic potential and oncourt performance.
The NBA has been actively searching for partnerships and sponsors since 2014 when Commissioner Adam Silver outlined the desire in a USA Today interview. They recently approved of advertisements on jerseys for major league teams, and some franchises have already partnered. The NBA is obviously already very popular, but the D-League has had trouble gaining popularity. However, more teams are adding D-League teams to their franchises with the Bucks most recently announcing one.
The Developmental League has had some negative associations with it, mainly because it implies that the players are demoted to it. While sometimes true, the D-League is outgrowing that connotation and adding quality players that will see NBA time. To hardcore basketball fans value of the NBA D-League is there, but to casual fans, there is little interest.
A partnership with Gatorade adds a huge brand name that resonates with more people and should increase the revenue stream. With more money, the D-League may hopefully be able to increase salaries and attract more international talent. A more robust developmental league coupled with every NBA franchise having a team will go a long way
