Kendall-Jackson, La Crema become official wine partners for NBA leagues
Jackson Family Wines, one of the largest U.S. wine companies, and the NBA on Thursday announced a multiyear partnership deal for two of the Santa Rosa-based vintner’s largest brands, the first for the beverage in professional basketball.
The four-and-a-half-year arrangement names as official wine partners Kendall-Jackson for the NBA, La Crema for the WNBA, and Kendall-Jackson and La Crema for USA Basketball’s men’s and women’s teams, respectively. This is the latest move in the wine industry to reach out new consumers through professional sports.
The brands will have a presence at marquee league events, the news release said. That includes elevated experiences, wine tastings and opportunities for players, coaches and fans to learn about and appreciate wine.
“Our partnership with the NBA is a natural extension of our shared values and our commitment to embracing the evolving landscape of culture and taste,” said Chris Jackson, co-proprietor for the wine company, in a statement. “It’s about enriching the fan experience by blending the passion for the game with the artistry of winemaking. As we embark on this exciting journey together, we are setting the stage for a future where wine converges in unexpected and exhilarating ways.”
The arrangement brings Kendall-Jackson in as the presenting partner of the NBA Experiences dinner series at certain NBA events. The brand also will become an associate partner for the second-annual NBA Con, the league’s fan event to be held in July in Las Vegas alongside the NBA2K Summer League offseason competition.
That access for the brand includes pop-up tasting rooms at those events. The brand will also collaborate with the league on additional tastings and “experiential showcases” at the NBA All-Star event and open the opportunity to produce commemorative wine bottles and give items to NBA players.
The vintner said this deal is with the NBA itself and not with the teams, but a goal is to build relationships with the teams and their players.
WNBA ‘resonates’ with La Crema
La Crema is particularly a good fit for the WNBA, a company spokesperson said. The brand’s history long has been one as a women-led venture under Jackson ownership since 1993, and for decades it has been an advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Now in its 28th season, the WNBA has the highest percentage of openly LGBTQ+ athletes, executives and staff of any professional sports organization globally, according to Outsports.
“When you look at women-led, women equality, equity, LGBTQ support, DE&I, all of that really resonates with what La Crema is trying to do as well,” said Janel Lubanski, a spokesperson for the vintner.
Wine and sports culture
The Jackson deal with the NBA is the latest high-profile move by the wine industry into professional basketball, but a number of players themselves have been moving that ball down the court. Yao Ming launched a Napa Valley luxury wine brand in 2009 when he was rising as a star for the Houston Rockets.
In 2018, ESPN The Magazine reported on “The NBA’s Secret Wine Society,” which featured a visit by a busload of Cleveland Cavaliers players to the Mayacamas winery in the aftermath of the Tubbs Fire.
Later in 2018, Golden State Warriors three-pointer phenom Steph Curry, his wife, Ayesha, and sister Sydel Curry-Lee launched Domaine Curry wine brand. Last year, Constellation Brands’ The Prisoner Wine Co. acquired it.
Wine has also made inroads into professional football in recent years. Sonoma County wine, grape and tourism agencies inked a deal with the NFL to put a tasting venue in Super Bowl City in 2016, when the big game was held in San Francisco. Over nine days, more than 20,000 glasses of wine were poured at the Taste of Sonoma lounge and at two concession booths in the fan mall set up near the Ferry Building, the Journal reported at the time.
Two years ago, E. & J. Gallo Winery also inked a multiyear deal to be the NFL’s official wine sponsor.
How the deal came together
The NBA deal came about organically over the past four years. When pandemic measures started in March 2020, NBA teams began living and playing in “The Bubble” — the league’s term for sequestering key people to help prevent COVID-19 infection.
Jackson Executive Vice President of Sales Bill O’Connor saw an article about NBA players’ wanting better wine options in the hotel bubbles, according to the company. O’Connor sent the league a selection of Jackson wines — Kendall-Jackson chardonnay, Verite, Stonestreet, La Crema, Freemark Abbey, Penner-Ash and portfolio wines from France, Italy and Australia.
The company then set up virtual tastings with its master sommeliers, including one coincidentally with the same name as one of the game’s greats: Michael Jordan.
That started a conversation with the league about a more formal relationship with wine, the vintner said. In late 2021, O’Connor met with NBA representatives in New York and they realized their brands aligned well on values such as community, equality and sustainability.
Jeff Quackenbush covers wine, construction and real estate. Reach him at jquackenbush@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4256.
