NBA and Under Armour expand current partnership

The NBA announced on Monday that it is expanding its partnership with Under Armour (UA).

The up-and-coming American sporting apparel brand, which has had a relationship with the NBA since 2011, earned the nod of becoming the title partner of the NBA Draft Combine (starting in 2018). This specific agreement means that upcoming NBA Draft prospects will be in UA gear during the entirety of its event. UA will also develop a retail apparel line based from the combine for the fans to purchase.

As a presenting partner for the US-based Jr. NBA program, UA will help the league with its expanded efforts to get the youth out to play. Through basketball clinics, skills challenges, and regional tournaments conducted with the assistance of youth basketball organizations, the NBA aims to reach out to five million kids aged 6-14 y/o and develop within them a lifelong passion with the sport.

It is also important to stress out that the Jr. NBA Program not only teaches them the fundamentals of the sport, but also them the STAR values (sportsmanship, teamwork, a positive attitude, and respect) that would serve them well outside of the court.

In addition to the two programs, the NBA will utilize Under Armour's Connected Fitness platform as the basis for its NBA FIT App, which fits the league's thrust in encouraging people to have a healthy and active lifestyle. The application will have training tips and fitness-related content, among other things.

UA also secured a global content partnership with the league, which will come in handy particularly with marketing and promoting its athlete endorsers (i.e. Stephen Curry, Kemba Walker, Brandon Jennings, Greivis Vasquez and Emmanuel Mudiay). It will also be make its presence felt at some of the NBA events, like the All-Star Game, for instance.

Under Armour EVP for Global Marketing Adam Peake expressed pride in having this expanded partnership with the NBA, noting that this will allow them to "leverage our leadership in athletic performance innovation and Connected Fitness to foster the worldwide growth of basketball." He adds that this shared commitment will help basketball players everywhere realize their potential both on and off the court.

NBA EVP for Global Markerting Partnerships Emilio Collins says that both the NBA and UA have a shared commitment to basketball, fitness, and healthy living. This latest alliance, allows them to not just teach the values of the game to millions of kids though the Jr. NBA Program, but a chance to educate the fans with the latest on exercise know-how and wellness information via the NBA Fit app.

No details have been made available as to how the Philippines will be affected by this partnership. When asked for comment on Twitter, NBA Philippines' Carlos Singson is excited about this collaboration and sees UA as a "very cool brand."

Under Armour and the Philippines

Under Armour

When everything seems to be all about either a swoosh or three stripes, a new element in the sporting apparel recently made their headway into the Philippines.

That, is Kevin Plank's pride and joy, Under Armour.

Here is Under Armour's Chief Marketing Officer for SE Asia, Adrian Chai's nuggets of wisdom with regards to brand's presence in the country:

Re: Filipino response towards UA?

The response so far has been tremendous, especially with the rise of the brand in the USA. In particular, the basketball, compression attire and running range has gained quite significant traction with the built-in technologies like the new "Charged Cushioning."

What has been interesting is that the women's range has taken traction quite well, with many athletes and personalities trying the products out and taking advantage of the technologies built-in with each.

Re: UA's Brand Ambassadors not named Stephen Curry, as well as local counterparts?

There are already quite a number of athletes that UA has recently signed up, from Andy Murray to Michael Phelps. We have also non-sporting athletes that exemplify the "Will to Succeed and Overcome," such as ballerina Misty Copeland and supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

(To add: Bryce Harper, Lindsey Vonn, Hunter Mahan, Jordan Spieth, Julio Jones, Miles Austin, Matt Wieters, Brandon Jennings, Saul "El Canelo" Alvarez)
(To add: Tottenham, QPR, Toronto Maple Leafs)

Looking toward the Philippines, we have also local athletes, such as Gretchen Ho and Johan Aguilar. Apart from them, there are also very known personalities like Piolo Pasqual and Senator Pia Cayetano, who happens to be avid fans and athletes who actively compete and train.

(To add: Robi Domingo, Natasha Alquiros, Mia Cabalfin)

Re: UA and the National Basketball Training Center

We were working through Eric Altamirano (NBTC head) on some programs, which may include involving up-and-coming basketball stars. Looking at the rise of basketball and the love for the game in the Philippines, it was a great opportunity for us to show our support for them just like the way it is done in the USA with the Elite 24 program.

Re: the next step/s of UA in the Philippine sporting scene?

We are constantly looking to find synergies with different sports to work with the brand. It is also important, however, that we do not digress from the core competency of our apparel that involves training and our key sporting categories. We will embark on some exciting programs in basketball, as well as involving locals in our latest Earn Your Armour challenge, where Filipinos across the country can join up and as a community to engage and train using Under Armour's recently acquired fitness tracking app Endomondo. We will then tie this in with local on-ground activations called Armour@The Fort, where fans of the brand and others can join in and train up with our partner gyms and trainers.

There are already a couple of UA stores in the Philippines, one at the Bonifacio High Street, the other inside SM Megamall.