Nestlé and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have agreed to a multi-year international marketing partnership that will make Milo, Nescau and Nesquik official NBA partners across 21 markets, including Nigeria.
The partnership takes effect on January 1, 2027, and aims to engage basketball fans and encourage more young people to participate in the sport.
Nestlé and the NBA plan to activate the agreement through youth basketball programmes and platforms, including Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA, NBA Basketball School, coaches’ academies, Her Time To Play and NBA 3X. Activities will also extend to selected NBA events and fan platforms, including NBA Global Games and NBA House.
The partnership will include retail promotions and local fan experiences. On-pack campaigns will feature NBA branding and give consumers opportunities to win tickets, merchandise and other prizes.
Nestlé said the agreement is its largest international brand collaboration to date and reflects a strategy of focusing on fewer, larger marketing platforms that can be adapted to local markets.
In Nigeria, the partnership builds on Milo’s support for youth basketball through the Milo Basketball Championship, now in its 26th edition. The tournament reached more than 13,000 schools across the country in 2026.
Nestlé Nigeria Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Wassim Elhusseini said basketball had become an important part of Milo’s presence in Nigeria, helping young people develop discipline, resilience, teamwork and self-belief. He said the NBA partnership would extend the company’s longstanding commitment to the sport.
Nestlé’s senior vice president and head of its Confectionery and Snacking Strategic Business Unit, Liberato Milo, said the collaboration would use basketball to connect with consumers and encourage families and young people to be active.
NBA Senior Vice President of Commercial Development and Media Julie Morris said the league looked forward to drawing on Nestlé’s global reach and local market presence to connect with fans and support basketball’s growth.
The partnership will cover Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. The Philippines is scheduled to join from October 2027.