Reliance Retail, NBA Sign Contract To Launch Merchandise In India

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and India’s largest retailer (15,800 stores), Reliance Retail India’s announced a multiyear collaboration to launch an extensive range of NBA merchandise in India, both said in a joint press release.

As part of the collaboration, Reliance Retail has introduced a wide selection of NBA team and league-branded products to fans in India including a comprehensive range of adult and youth apparel, accessories, back-to-school supplies, toys, collectibles and more.

The new merchandise is available for fans at select Reliance Retail stores across the country and on Reliance Retail’s e-commerce platforms. In addition, Reliance Retail will provide customers who visit its stores with interactive NBA experiences including sweepstakes, Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA activations, NBA game highlights and related content on in-store TVs and more, the release said.

The collaboration builds on the NBA’s long-standing relationship with Reliance, which includes the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program, multiyear broadcast and streaming agreements with Viacom18 and Jio, and a collaboration with Lakmé Fashion Week that offered fashion designers from across India the opportunity to create exclusive NBA capsule collections.

“Reliance has been a trusted partner of the NBA for years, and through this collaboration we look forward to strengthening our retail presence in India together,” said Rob Millman, senior vice president of international licensing and business development.

“As the NBA’s popularity in India continues to grow, making products more broadly available reflects our commitment to providing fans in India with a more wide-ranging NBA experience,” Millman said.

“We are excited to work with Reliance Retail to expand the range of NBA products available to our fans in India,” said Siddharth Chury, associate vice president of global partnerships at NBA India.

“As a leading sports and lifestyle retailer, Reliance Retail will help us meet the growing demand for NBA-branded products and allow our fans to express their NBA fandom through a far-reaching range of merchandise and apparel. Through the integration of these retail platforms with our grassroots and fan engagement initiatives, we aim to deliver NBA experiences to our fans that go well beyond just a shopping destination, Chury said.