THE NBA AND COCA-COLA Tuesday announced a new global marketing partnership, bringing Sprite back as the league’s official global soft drink partner.
The multi-year agreement marks the return of one of the NBA’s most iconic brand collaborations, reuniting two names that have shared a deep connection to basketball culture for decades. Sprite will serve as the exclusive soft drink partner of the NBA across a global footprint.
The move would likely be a body blow for Starry, a Sprite rival produced by PepsiCo, which has held the league soft drink sponsorship effectively since its launch three years ago.
Coca-Cola first partnered with the NBA in 1986, and for nearly three decades, Sprite helped shape how basketball connects with fans across sport, music, fashion and self-expression. From the cultural impact of “Obey Your Thirst” in North America, to streetball tournaments in Asia, player-led collaborations in Latin America, and culture-driven activations across Europe and Africa, Sprite’s heritage within basketball culture spans generations and continents. Sprite also served as the title sponsor of the Slam Dunk Contest at NBA All-Star from 2003-2016. Together, Sprite and the NBA helped define how brands show up authentically in the culture surrounding the game.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Sprite back to the NBA family and look forward to collaborating together on new ways for fans to experience the game,” an official release quotes NBA EVP Global Marketing Partnerships and Media, Kerry Tatlock, as having said.
“Basketball is central to the DNA of Sprite,” said Coca-Cola EVP and Global chief marketing officer Manolo Arroyo, per the release. “Reuniting with the NBA is about co-creating what’s next – experimenting with new fan experiences, exploring emerging formats and meeting the next generation where they are. Basketball is not just a game; it’s a global cultural engine, and Sprite, together with the NBA, will help to fuel the moments and memories that drive it.”
Through integrated global marketing campaigns, Sprite has maintained a high profile in basketball culture, working with 17 NBA teams and recently releasing co-branded, limited-time cans in collaboration with some of those partners. The renewed collaboration builds on recent momentum, including the introduction of co-branded, limited-edition Sprite cans featuring select NBA teams in participating markets.
2026 NBA All-Star Game MVP Anthony Edwards has also played a leading role in Sprite’s creative, particularly since it resurrected the “Obey Your Thirst” messaging in 2024 to better engage Gen Z consumers. Sprite is deepening its relationship with Edwards through the new sponsorship, viewing the Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard as representative of a “new generation of global stars whose influence extends beyond the court,” the release said.
“Being a part of this legendary partnership between Sprite and the NBA is incredible. I’m excited to represent the brand and show the next generation the power of staying true to yourself,” Edwards is also quoted as saying in the release.
Under the new agreement, Sprite will activate across NBA’s biggest global stages, including league tentpole moments, as well as international events like NBA Global Games. Through the partnership, fans will see immersive experiences, custom content series on NBA platforms, and exclusive promotions that bring them closer to NBA fandom.
Per Marketing Dive, Sprite and the NBA reuniting comes at a time of massive change for sports media. Viewership is drifting to streaming — the NBA currently has a media rights agreement with Amazon Prime Video around regular-season games that runs into the 2030s — while athlete personalities are developing more of their personal brands on social media. Aligning with these trends is the need for publishers and brands to cater more to digital-first Gen Z audiences, a shift Sprite and the NBA are trying to account for with their collaboration.
