Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment CEO Tad Brown said that LeBron James’ signing, the 76ers’ other personnel moves and talk of a new arena have “generated excitement that has fueled greater interest in sponsorship opportunities with the team,” according to John George of the PHILADELPHIA BUSINESS JOURNAL. Brown said that the Sixers and Crypto.com, the team’s previous jersey patch sponsor, “mutually agreed to end their deal early.” That kicked off a process that started before there were trade discussions this summer involving G Jaylen Brown. The 76ers’ search for a new jersey sponsor came to a conclusion Monday when the team and Bloom Energy announced a multiyear agreement. As the Sixers were in the process of rethinking their sponsorship lineup, Bloom Energy founder & CEO K.R. Sridhar was “simultaneously looking for ways to build the company’s brand.” Sridhar said that the “excitement generated by the Brown trade and James’ signing helped seal the deal.” He said the 76ers’ offseason “made our decision a lot easier.” As Sixers GM Mike Gansey began assembling the team’s roster, HBSE’s Brown said that “people began to take notice.” Brown did not say if the Sixers were close to a deal with any other potential sponsors or how many companies it spoke with about the jersey patch opportunity (PHILADELPHIA BUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/28).
IMPACT FAR AND WIDE: CNBC.com’s Sherman & Golden wrote the “LeBron economy has already been a win for Philadelphia.” Brown said, “He’s going to make that impact on the organization, and then from an economic perspective, all that stuff follows.” The 76ers noted that they are already seeing an “immediate impact in the form of ticket sales.” Brown said, “We’ve had a tremendous surge in people who are interested in becoming season ticket holders.” Per ticket reseller StubHub, 76ers tickets are the “hottest tickets out there” on the secondary market. StubHub said that the Sixers “went from 22nd to first in NBA tickets sold for both home and road games.” Tickets are “selling 11 times more than what they had at this point last year.” Since he announced his move to Philadelphia, James is also the “best-selling athlete across all of sports on the entire Fanatics platform” (CNBC.com, 9/28).
NOT FOR NOTHING: In his first appearance as a 76er, James said he “didn’t leave my family to lose in the second round.” SI’s Liam McKeone wrote that quote “will follow the 76ers around all season long, no matter what happens.” James’ wife and youngest daughter “still reside” in L.A. His oldest son Bronny plays for the Lakers and his second son Bryce plays for the Univ. of Arizona. Geographically, there “weren’t many options further than Philadelphia from all James holds dear.” In 10 minutes, James “made clear what he thought of that standard.” McKeone: “When LeBron is in town, there isn’t hope. There are expectations, and he laid them bare for all to see at the first opportunity as a member of the 76ers” (SI, 9/28).