Susan Abayomi
Nestlé and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have entered into a new multi-year international marketing partnership that will see Milo®, Nescau® and Nesquik® become Official Partners of the NBA across 21 markets on four continents, including Nigeria.
The partnership, which takes effect on January 1, 2027, is aimed at engaging basketball fans and creating more opportunities for young people to participate in the sport around the world.
It represents Nestlé’s largest international brand collaboration to date and reflects the company’s strategy of focusing on fewer, larger global marketing platforms that can be consistently activated across different markets while maintaining local relevance.
In Nigeria, the partnership builds on Milo’s more than two-decade contribution to youth basketball development through the Milo Basketball Championship, providing an opportunity to expand its longstanding commitment and encourage more young people to embrace physical activity through sport.
As part of the agreement, Nestlé and the NBA will create opportunities for young people and families to engage with basketball through selected NBA youth development programmes and platforms.
These will include Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA, NBA Basketball School, Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Coaches Academies, Her Time To Play and NBA 3X, as well as selected NBA events and fan engagement platforms such as NBA Global Games and NBA House.
Commenting on the partnership, Liberato Milo, SVP and Head of Confectionery & Snacking Strategic Business Unit at Nestlé, said the company’s brands have for decades recognised sport as a platform for inspiring and developing people.
“For decades, our brands have believed in the power of sport to bring out the best in people,” he said.
Milo said the company’s experience with Milo and Nescau sports programmes, as well as Nesquik athlete partnerships and initiatives, had demonstrated the ability of sport to energise people, build confidence and encourage healthy habits.
He added that working with the NBA would enable Nestlé to use basketball to connect with consumers on a wider scale, develop locally relevant experiences and encourage more young people and families to become active while enjoying the game.
The partnership will also feature retail programmes and fan experiences in participating markets, including on-pack promotions carrying NBA branding. Consumers will also have opportunities to win NBA tickets, merchandise and other prizes.
Speaking on the agreement, Wassim Elhusseini, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Nigeria, said basketball had become an important part of the Milo brand’s story in Nigeria.
“Basketball has become an important part of the Milo story in Nigeria, creating opportunities for young people to participate in sport while developing values such as discipline, resilience, teamwork and self-belief,” Elhusseini said.
He noted that the partnership with the NBA would build on that foundation by linking Nestlé’s longstanding commitment to basketball in Nigeria with a global platform.
“We are excited about the possibilities this creates to deepen engagement with the sport and inspire even more young people to get active, discover their potential and grow through basketball,” he added.
The Milo Basketball Championship, now in its 26th edition, reached more than 13,000 schools across Nigeria in 2026, providing young people with opportunities to participate in competitive basketball while developing important life skills through sport.
Also commenting on the partnership, Julie Morris, NBA Senior Vice President of Commercial Development and Media, said Nestlé’s global recognition and longstanding relationship with consumers would provide opportunities for the NBA to engage fans in new ways.
“Nestlé is one of the world’s most recognizable brands and has a longstanding connection to consumers across the globe,” Morris said.
She added that the NBA looked forward to leveraging Nestlé’s reach and presence in local markets to develop new connections with fans and support the continued growth of basketball worldwide.
Beyond Nigeria, the partnership will be activated across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.
The Philippines will join the partnership from October 2027, bringing the total reach of the collaboration to 21 markets across four continents.
The agreement further strengthens the connection between Nestlé’s leading beverage brands and the global basketball community, while creating platforms through which young people and families can participate in sport, engage with basketball and develop values through physical activity.
