NBA signs deal with Stance to become official league sock
The NBA is filling some big shoes with its latest licensing deal.
The league has inked a multi-year deal with Stance, a sock manufacturer, to put its logo on socks worn during games starting next season, according to Bloomberg's Scott Soshnick.
John Wilson, founder and president of Stance, said that company officials are excited that their logo will appear on players in-game socks. Stance intends to provide teams with a variety of sock choices, including custom color designs tying into the team's uniform and logo.
The financial terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed by either the league or the company, but the agreement makes the NBA the first league to allow a company's logo on game-worn socks. Stance will give the NBA a guaranteed royalty, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell.
"This is a direction that we will be going in the future," said Lisa Piken Koper, the NBA's vice president of licensing. "We thought Stance was a great place to start."
Piken Koper did not go into specifics, but said that the NBA has seen triple-digit growth in the sock category over the last few years.
There are already a few pro ballers endorsing Stance, namely Dwyane Wade, Andre Drummond, Klay Thompson and Chandler Parsons.
Now we here. pic.twitter.com/Yh2JvY9U70
— Stance Hoops (@stancehoops) April 27, 2015
Here's Klay Thompson wearing the new @stance sock the Warriors will sport next season pic.twitter.com/GKhAcoJt4U
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 27, 2015
Stance replaces Bare Feet Inc. as the NBA's sock supplier.