NBL welcomes return of Mitsubishi sponsorship

May 30, 2023

The National Basketball League has announced the return of Mitsubishi as a major partner for its 2024 season.

Mitsubishi was previously the naming rights sponsor of the competition from 1992-2000 and, 23 years later, the company has returned as a key supporter of Australian basketball.

Stephen Quartermain, who was the voice of the NBL in that 1990s period, including the near decade Mitsubishi was on board, commenting "it’s impossible to compare eras whether you’re talking about cricket, football, basketball, whatever.

“You live in your era, and back then I was so intimately involved - I’m not so much these days.

“The talent on television today are unbelievable athletes and I’m sure they would have been superb back in the 90s, but look at the guys from then.

“Gaze, Copeland, Bradke, Vlahov, Crawford, Bolden, you could just go on, and on, and on.

“It was a great era full of great personalities on and off the court.

“It would be great to somehow arrange a time machine to watch them go up against each other.”

With the NBL established itself as one of the world's major basketball competitions outside of the NBA it is developing a series of growth opportunities which it describes as being "a far cry from the days where the league was threatening to go under".

Speaking at the launch of the Mitsubishi x NBL partnership, Quartermain “it was with a lot of sadness, even though I was out of the sport, to see what happened to the NBL.

“It was really upsetting because I’d formed so many friendships and had formed a lot of love for the competition.

“As I saw it slowly coming back with Larry (Kestelman, NBA owner) getting involved - and what a legend he’s been for the sport - it’s just been great to sit back and watch this resurgence.

“A lot of people regard it as the second-best competition in the world, so what more could you ask for?

“It’s back to the future for me. Mitsubishi were fantastic supporters of basketball back in those amazing, heady days.

“It was brilliant back then, and for them to come back and support basketball now just shows where the game is at.”

Image: Yesterday's launch of the Mitsubishi x NBL partnership. Credit: NBL.

29th May 2023 - Basketball WA puts Perth Lynx WNBL licence up for sale

28th April 2023 - YouGov Sport reveals innovative sponsorship prospecting tool

12th April 2023 - Strategic Membership Solutions shares how to avoid common sponsorship mistakes

11th April 2023 - Latest PwC Global Sports Survey identifies major events driving industry growth

22nd April 2023 - NBL exploring sale of Tasmania JackJumpers

21st April 2023 - AFL’s David Stevenson named new NBL Chief Executive

18th April 2023 - Basketball Australia advises that transgender player cannot play in Victoria’s NBL1 South competition

21st October 2022 - Sponsorship’s new paradigm

18th July 2022 - Derrimut 24:7 Gym announces two year sponsorship with NBL’s Adelaide 36ers

4th July 2022 - Darwin to host pre season 2022 NBL Blitz

27th May 2022 - NBL to enhance community programs with Australian Sports Foundation partnership

24th May 2022 - ASEAN Football Federation announce Mitsubishi Electric tournament sponsorship

7th December 2021 - NBL’s Phoenix to accept cryptocurrencies for memberships and sponsorships

10th November 2021 - NBL’s JackJumpers ready to take the court as legislation to create Stadiums Tasmania agency moves forward

20th August 2021 - NBL agrees three year broadcast deal with 10 Network

23rd March 2021 - NBL appoints PTI Digital to deliver Derwent Entertainment Centre’s technology roadmap

6th March 2021 - Sydney Kings sponsor calls for removal of slippery logos from NBL court surfaces

9th February 2021 - NBL to reinstate Illawarra Hawks naming

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.