Sprint Corp. is ending its four-year sponsorship deal with the National Basketball Association seven months after announcing an end to its NASCAR Sprint Cup deal. Sprint spokesman Dave Mellin confirmed a mutual decision between the company and league in an email Wednesday, providing what he said was a joint statement with the league. “After careful evaluation, Sprint and the NBA have decided not to extend their marketing partnership,” the statement said. “We are proud of our four-year relationship and our joint efforts to leverage technology to bring the game of basketball closer to the fans.” Word of the NBA news surfaced in an online report by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal. “Sprint officials told the NBA last Wednesday that the company will not renew the four-year, $222 million NBA sponsorship it signed during the 2011 lockout, which was then the largest sponsorship deal in league history,” its post said. Sprint is in danger of losing its standing as No. 3 in the industry to fast growing T-Mobile US Inc. T-Mobile recently said its subscriber count grew to 58.9 million at the end of June. Sprint, with 57.1 million subscribers at the end of March, has not reported a June total. Ending both the NBA and NASCAR sponsorships sharply reduces Sprint’s sports-related marketing.(Kansas City Star)(7-16-2015)
