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Another National Basketball Association star will be supporting sports drink maker Gatorade – but this one is also an aspiring music star.
Portland Trail Blazers superstar ranger Damián Lillard has agreed to an endorsement deal with PepsiCo’s Gatorade, the company said Friday. Gatorade will use the name, image, likeness and social media accounts of the NBA All-Star to endorse its BOLT24 product, starting with a TV commercial that debuts this month.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Lillard joins a team filled with NBA stars, including Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans. But the current roster lacks what Lillard brings – a music platform.
Outside of the NBA, the Blazers Guard has gained fame in the music industry for his hip-hop recordings, released as Dame DOLLA Top hip-hop groups have embraced and collaborated with Lillard, this which means Gatorade gets a cross star endorsing their product on multiple platforms.
“Damian is not just a dynamic basketball player; he’s also a dynamic person off the pitch,” said Jeff Kearney, global sports marketing manager at Gatorade, in a statement. “He brings so much to the table – attention, character, raw talent, honed craftsmanship – he’s always ready and he’s always real.”
“There is certainly a lot of cross-appeal to him in particular,” added Scott Rosner, professor in the sports management program at Columbia University. “He’s an absolutely nice guy, a perennial All-Star, easily one of the top 20 players in the league. He’s certainly an attractive individual for brands who want to race with – and for top brands.”
Lillard, 30, averaged 37.6 points in eight games during the NBA bubble restart and led the Blazers to a playoff first-round playoff appearance against eventual champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lillard will earn around $ 31 million for the 2020-21 season, the final before his new deal begins. Last year, the Oakland native signed a supermax contract with the Blazers – a four-year, $ 196 million extension.
He has also released three music albums, with his debut, “The Letter 0”, released in 2016. Lillard has collaborated with top rappers including Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz.
Lillard also has endorsement deals with clothing company Adidas and streaming service Hulu. Aligning with Lillard can help Gatorade continue to hold its own against rivals, including Bodyarmor, which aims to move beyond the sports drink category.
“The gap is narrower than it’s ever been,” Rosner said. “Between Bodyarmor and BioSteel entering space, joining Powerade and Gatorade, the competition is greater than it has ever been.
“So you have to maintain that relevance with a younger generation who may be familiar with ‘Be Like Mike’ [Michael Jordan], but he’s irrelevant to their lives in the same way a younger player like Damian Lillard might be. “
Sports marketing executive Tony Ponturo added that he agreed when discussing Lillard’s addition to Gatorade with CNBC on Friday.
“They wanted to bond with someone, and the NBA star can be a great asset in staying relevant,” said Ponturo, former Anheuser-Busch vice president, global sports and entertainment marketing. “Sport has become entertainment and a lifestyle.
“If you can get through them all,” he added, “if you can get two or three [platforms] for the price of one, this is a very good solution. “
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