MUMBAI: The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Suditi Sports Apparel Ltd. (SSAL), a leader in apparel exports, Wednesday announced a multiyear expansion of their existing merchandising collaboration that will see Suditi create and distribute more officially licensed NBA fanwear in India.
The announcement builds on the long-standing association between the two brands, with Suditi remaining one of the select manufacturers of licensed NBA apparel in India.
Through the expansion, fans now have access to a wider range of officially licensed NBA merchandise, including current and former player fanwear, apparel, headwear, innerwear, accessories, and more. The entire collection is available through Suditi’s direct-to-consumer platform, ShopTheArena.com, and at select offline and online retail channels across the country.
“Over the past five years, Suditi has played a vital role in helping us grow basketball and the NBA’s popularity in India,” said NBA India Business head of Global Partnerships and Media Sunny Malik. “There’s clear demand for a more comprehensive range of NBA merchandise in the country, which is reflected by the fact that sales from NBA-branded Suditi products have grown four times since the launch of our collaboration. We expect that trend to continue as part of this multiyear expansion and look forward to continuing to work with Suditi to produce fanwear that empowers fans in India to represent their favorite teams and players in style.”
“The NBA is one of the best brands globally, and we are excited to build on our valued merchandising relationship with them,” said SSAL co-founder Harsh Agarwal. “The past five years have been a privilege, offering us the opportunity to learn from both the NBA and Indian consumers. The next phase of our journey will focus on leveraging these learnings to drive growth in the merchandise segment in India. We look forward to our continued collaboration with the NBA and to bringing a diverse array of products to India’s thriving consumer market.”
The 2023-24 NBA season is airing live in India on Sports18-1, Sports18 Khel, JioCinema and NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service available via the NBA App.
