MILO, Nescau and Nesquik Become Official NBA Partners
Nestlé and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have announced a new multi-year international marketing partnership that will make MILO®, Nescau® and Nesquik® Official Partners of the NBA.
The agreement, which takes effect on January 1, 2027, will span 21 markets across four continents, making it Nestlé’s largest international brand collaboration to date. The partnership is designed to bring the NBA and Nestlé brands closer to basketball fans while encouraging greater youth participation in the sport.
Focus on Youth Basketball Development
A major focus of the collaboration will be youth basketball development. Nestlé and the NBA will work together through a range of programmes and platforms aimed at giving young people greater opportunities to engage with the sport. These initiatives will include Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA, NBA Basketball School, Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Coaches Academies, Her Time To Play and NBA 3X.
The partnership will also feature selected NBA events and fan-engagement platforms, including NBA Global Games and NBA House. Through these programmes, the partners hope to use basketball as a platform to encourage young people and families to adopt more active lifestyles.
Nestlé Targets Global Reach with Local Relevance
According to Nestlé, the agreement is part of its strategy of concentrating its marketing efforts on fewer, larger global platforms that can be activated consistently across different markets while still maintaining local relevance.
Liberato Milo, Senior Vice President and Head of Confectionery & Snacking Strategic Business Unit at Nestlé, said the company’s brands have a long history of using sport to connect with consumers and promote active lifestyles.
“For decades, our brands have believed in the power of sport to bring out the best in people,” he said.
He added that working with the NBA would allow Nestlé to connect with consumers on a large scale while creating experiences tailored to individual markets. The collaboration, he said, would also help inspire young people and families to become more active through basketball.
Ghana to Benefit from Expanded Basketball Opportunities
In Ghana, the partnership is expected to build on MILO’s longstanding commitment to grassroots sports development. Myron Otoo, Category Manager for Beverages and Dairy at Nestlé Ghana, said the collaboration would create additional opportunities for children across the country to discover and develop their potential through sport.
“This is an exciting moment to further democratize access to basketball and create more opportunities for children across Ghana to discover and develop their potential through sport,” Otoo said.
He explained that the partnership builds on MILO’s existing grassroots sports initiatives, including the MILO Under 13 Champions League, which has played a role in nurturing young sporting talent in Ghana.
Promoting Active and Healthy Lifestyles
Otoo said the collaboration would harness the popularity of basketball to inspire the next generation of athletes. Beyond developing sporting skills, the partnership is expected to promote active and healthy lifestyles while reinforcing the role of sport in building confidence, character and grit among young people. For Ghana, the initiative could provide another platform for children to access basketball programmes and develop their sporting abilities.
Fans to Get NBA Experiences and Prizes
The partnership will extend beyond basketball development programmes to include retail promotions and fan experiences in participating markets. Consumers can expect on-pack promotions featuring NBA branding, along with opportunities to win NBA tickets, merchandise and other prizes. These activities are intended to bring fans closer to the NBA while giving Nestlé’s brands greater visibility among basketball audiences.
NBA Welcomes Nestlé Collaboration
Julie Morris, NBA Senior Vice President of Commercial Development and Media, said the partnership would help expand access to basketball and enable the league to connect with fans in new ways.
“Nestlé is one of the world’s most recognizable brands and has a longstanding connection to consumers across the globe,” Morris said.
She added that the NBA looked forward to using Nestlé’s international reach and local market presence to engage fans and support the continued growth of basketball worldwide.
Partnership to Cover 21 Markets
The collaboration will initially be activated across 21 markets, including:
- Ghana
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- Colombia
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Nigeria
- Singapore
- Spain
- Thailand
- Türkiye
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Vietnam
The Philippines will join the partnership from October 2027.
A New Chapter for Basketball and Nestlé
The Nestlé-NBA partnership represents a significant expansion of the companies’ efforts to connect sport, consumers and youth development. For Nestlé, it provides a major international platform for MILO, Nescau and Nesquik. For the NBA, the collaboration offers an opportunity to reach more consumers and young players through Nestlé’s extensive presence in local markets.
In Ghana, the partnership could further strengthen MILO’s role in grassroots sports, giving more children opportunities to discover basketball, develop their talents and experience the values that sport can bring to their lives.
