Nets reach jersey patch deal with Motorola

In yet another indicator of the Nets rising prominence, the team has signed a broad sponsorship agreement with Motorola that will weave the company’s “batwing” logo into both game and practice jerseys, In addition the agreement provides for “branding presence” on the Barclays Center court and additional domestic and international marketing of Motorola’s revamped razr 5G flip phone.

Motorola will also bring STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) educational programs to underserved youth and the donation of Motorola smartphones to support virtual learning for homeless students, who make up more than 100,000 of the city’s public school students.

There was no indication in the joint press release of how much Motorola will pay BSE Global, the Nets parent company, or the duration of the agreement. Motorola will replace Infor, a software provider was the Nets initial jersey patch sponsor. Infor paid $8 million a year over three years. The value of the Motorola deal is likely to be much higher.

Key to the deal is Motorola’s marketing of the razr, which went on sale recently ... as reflected in comments from both the team and company. (Motorola’s smart phone business, Motorola Mobility, is a subsidiary of Lenovo, the Chinese electronics manufacturer. The Beijing-based company acquired the business from Google five years ago.)

“In our search for a new jersey patch partner, we wanted a company that we felt a cultural alignment with,” said John Abbamondi, CEO of BSE Global and the Nets. “We have found that in Motorola. Both of our companies have been through a reinvention in the past year; Motorola with the rebirth of the iconic razr, and our team, which now features a roster that has redefined expectations for the Nets. We are looking forward to working with Motorola and introducing our dedicated fanbase to the brand’s latest innovations.”

“Motorola and the Brooklyn Nets share an innovative spirit and a passion to win that drives success,” said Rudi Kalil, VP and general manager, North America at Motorola. “We’re honored to see our iconic brand and values represented by this talented, hardworking organization. We look forward to cheering on our team with fans in Brooklyn and around the world and connecting closer to the NBA audience with our line-up of versatile smartphones.”

Motorola will also serve as the official smartphone partner of the Brooklyn Nets, with the intent of further raising the profile of the razr.

The most unique aspect of the partnership, according to the release will see Motorola and the Nets partner in the Brooklyn community to bring STEM educational programs to underserved youth and the donation of Motorola smartphones to support virtual learning for homeless students.

The release did not provide details on the number of smart phones or the rollout. The lack of personal technology in underserved communities has hurt the city’s efforts to educate students who must stay at home because of the pandemic.

Additionally, Motorola executives will participate in an educational speaker series with a local organization to help encourage young students to consider and explore career opportunities within the STEM industry, according to the release.

The announcement came with a team video featuring Kevin Durant...

In October, Abbamondi told CNBC the team was “extremely bullish” and “optimistic” about its patch offerings, adding that the Nets “expect to be competitive next year” and that could draw more national TV games.

“This is not only a unique marketing asset for a brand in terms of the scale and scope of the reach in terms of billions of impression not only across the U.S. but around the world,” Abbamondi told Jabari Young of CNBC.

He labeled the patch “the closet brand alignment with our organization other than [arena] naming rights.”

• BROOKLYN NETS NAME MOTOROLA AS OFFICIAL JERSEY PATCH PARTNER - Brooklyn Nets