- Voyager Digital has entered into a five year agreement with the NBA Dallas Mavericks to become the team’s first ‘cryptocurrency brokerage and international partner’.
- The deal also includes naming rights for the Mavs Gaming Hub, the official gaming and event venue for the Mavs NBA 2K League team.
- Voyager is the first international partner of the NBA franchise.
Sports betting deals aren’t the only new revenue stream for leagues and teams. Although it hasn’t quite reached the same ‘critical mass’ as sportsbook sponsorships there has been a steady growth in the number of cryptocurrency related deals and partnerships. Arguably the highest profile of these has come in the NBA where crypto platform FTX is now the naming sponsor of the Miami Heat’s arena–previously known as the American Airlines Arena. Individual athletes have also become ‘brand ambassadors’ for companies in the crypto space. Earlier this year, Jacksonville Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence announced his first sponsorship deal–not with a shoe company but with a cryptocurrency exchange (Blockfolio). Most recently, NBA superstar Stephen Curry announced a partnership deal with FTX joining legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady in the company’s sponsorship portfolio. Crypto.com has also been very active on the sponsorship front inking deals with properties as diverse as the NBA Philadelphia 76ers, the NHL Montreal Canadiens and the Aston Martin Formula 1 racing team.
Another big partnership announcement dropped earlier today. The NBA’s Dallas Mavericks have entered into a ‘five year exclusive, integrated partnership’ with Voyager Digital Ltd. Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) listed Voyager is one of the fastest growing cryptocurrency platforms in the United States and has worldwide aspirations. Voyager offers users a variety of services, most notably their mobile application which offers an easy and secure way to trade over 60 different crypto assets and earn interest on more than 30 cryptocurrencies. A press conference providing further context on the partnership was held at 4:00 PM Central on Wednesday featuring Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban and Steve Ehrlich, CEO and Co-founder of Voyager.
The goal of the partnership is to ‘make cryptocurrency more accessible through educational and community programs, global activations, and fan engagement promotions’. The partnership also includes naming rights to the Mavs Gaming Hub, the official gaming and event venue for the Mavs NBA 2K League team giving Voyager nice exposure to another growing industry: esports. Voyager also becomes the first international partner of the Dallas Mavericks and is the crypto company’s first partnership deal with a sports team. In 2019, the NBA granted teams the ability to provide international sponsorship rights, outside the United States and Canada. NBA basketball has a wide fanbase internationally with the Mavericks near the top of the team popularity list. This is due in large part to the international superstars that have been integral to the Mavericks’ success–in the past, German center Dirk Nowitski was the face of the NBA franchise. Now its budding superstar Luka Doncic, a native of Slovenia that is attracting significant international interest.
Steve Ehrlich, CEO and Co-founder of Voyager, had this to say about the partnership with the Mavericks:
“We could not be more excited to partner with the Dallas Mavericks to make crypto more accessible for all. This partnership gives us the opportunity to educate people all over the world on ways to use crypto in their everyday lives. We want to help people learn alternate ways to grow their wealth to achieve true financial freedom and build intergenerational wealth through crypto. We found a great partner to do this with in the Mavs and their owner, Mark Cuban, who is already deeply involved in the space.”
Mavs governor Mark Cuban has been a vocal advocate of cryptocurrency is is an ideal partner for Voyager:
“The Mavs are proud to welcome Voyager to the Dallas Mavericks family. Crypto assets and applications are changing how business and personal finance are done. We believe our partnership with Voyager will allow Mavs and NBA fans to learn more about Voyager and how they can earn more from Voyagers’ platform than from traditional financial applications.”
A promotional deal was announced at the press conference–new users who open an account and purchase at least $100 of cryptocurrency will receive a $50 bonus using ‘MAVS100’ as the signup code.
