On-Jersey advertisements has been pretty much a norm in sports throughout the world except in the four major sports in the United States, as leagues stateside have fought to keep corporate advertising on apparel as far away as possible. That's all about to change, as the NBA has announced its approval of a three-year pilot program that will allow its teams to sell ad space on their jerseys starting with the 2017-2018 season. NBA teams will allow 2.5" x 2.5" sponsorships as the league looks to increase its ad revenue over the next several years. This deal will also coincide with the new NBA contract with Nike.
The NBA commissioner stated the program is expected to be worth around $100 million USD per year, and since its counted as basketball related income the money would be split between the NBA players. Also, if you're worried about a KIA logo being on your favorite team's jersey, Adam Silver confirmed that NBA teams have the option to sell alternate jerseys at retail without the corporate branding.
