North American basketball’s NBA has renewed its partnership with global internet giant Google, with AI a key focus of the prolonged tie-up.
The multi-year extension will provide fans with ways they can use AI in the Google search function to explore NBA content in new ways.
Google has been the league’s official search and fan insights partner since 2021, with Pixel as the official fan phone.
To kick off the extended partnership and the 2026 NBA Playoffs, Google launched a new 'Search' campaign starring Slovenian star and new brand ambassador Luka Doncic, four-time NBA champion and Google performance advisor Stephen Curry, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s reigning MVP.
The advertising spots will run across broadcast, CTV (Connected TV), digital, and social. Google is also teaming up with player partners Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo for long-form social videos where they use AI Mode to break down their signature skills.
Google will also feature over 50 live, in-game integrations across the NBA’s national broadcast partners NBC, Disney, and Amazon Prime, that prompt viewers to explore real-time action and topics with AI Mode.
The internet heavyweight has had a relationship with the NBA since the 2021-22 season.
The company’s Pixel phone also serves as the presenting sponsor of the season-ending NBA Playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have named Ryan Kantor as vice president of global partnerships.
In this newly created role, he will lead sponsorship revenue generation, overseeing sales strategy and driving new business across both domestic and international markets.
Kantor most recently worked with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Kia Forum, and Intuit Dome.
Previously, he led new business development and directed partnership strategy for the Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) and Anaheim Ducks (NHL).
Kantor will immediately be involved in the Lakers’ search for a new jersey patch sponsor.
Last month, the franchise formally opened the bidding process for a new partner from the 2026-27 season onward, which will replace outgoing sponsor Bibigo, the Korean food brand.
The team’s five-year contract with Bibigo, which began in 2021, is set to end after the current NBA season, and the team is now inviting bids for the next campaign and beyond.
The Team, the US-based sports marketing giant formerly known as Wasserman, serves as the Lakers’ exclusive commercial agency through a partnership struck in 2024 under a deal that aims to bolster the franchise’s portfolio of global brands.
Billionaire businessman Mark Walter recently completed his purchase of the Lakers, after gaining unanimous approval from the league’s board of governors.
Walter, the chief executive and chairman of holding company TWG Global who was already a minority shareholder in the Lakers, acquired a majority stake through an agreement with the Buss family that values the team at $10 billion.
