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The NBA Draft is a marquee moment within the basketball and sports calendar each year, offering brands an opportunity to establish early relationships with athletes who are about to step foot onto the biggest stage in their sport. Athletes at this stage are often establishing and growing their presence within the partnerships space, allowing brands significant freedom to shape and amplify their personal stories. This early association allows for a deep connection between the player and the brand, resulting in long-term loyalty from fans who can then associate athletes with specific brands from the very start of their professional journeys. Famous examples include Nike's partnership launch with LeBron James to this year’s partnership between New Balance and Cooper Flagg.
As we’re seeing across the sports industry, the NBA Draft is no longer simply about athletic potential – it has evolved into a comprehensive entertainment event, merging elements of fashion, family, and future stardom. The draft’s media landscape has expanded dramatically, with audiences engaging through television, social media platforms, and special segments like the Draft's Red Carpet event. Apparel brands capitalize on this visibility, with custom suits designed to highlight athletes' unique backgrounds and personal styles, as seen in Louis Vuitton's collaboration with Victor Wembanyama and Indochino's personalized suits for draft prospects.
Additionally, the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) landscape has significantly impacted the NBA Draft, with many athletes entering the professional realm already established as personal brands. Players now arrive at the draft with substantial followings on social media platforms, pre-existing endorsement deals, and clearly articulated personal values and narratives. This established visibility and marketability enhance their attractiveness to sponsors, positioning them as ready-made ambassadors capable of immediate influence, which further highlights the importance of the draft as a strategic entry point for sports partnerships.
With such an event representing a massive achievement in these athletes’ lives, emotion also plays a significant role in the draft. Intimate family moments and the genuine excitement of reaching the pros offers brands unique storytelling opportunities that are true to the athletes. Commercial campaigns frequently leverage emotional narratives to resonate deeply with audiences, exemplified by Foot Locker’s memorable Father’s Day commercial. These authentic stories deepen fan connections and create memorable brand impressions.
With the NBA Draft growing in popularity each year with increased viewership – the 2024 NBA Draft drew a record 4.1M audience – the opportunity for brands only continues to rise along with it. It offers an authentic voice that resonates with NBA and Athlete fans while providing a massive platform with nationwide reach, all while bridging the worlds of sports, culture, and entertainment.
All eyes turn to the historic Lambeau Field for the 90th annual NFL Draft. Not only is this a big moment for the draft eligible players and the team that are selecting them, this is also a key tentpole event for the league and their brand partners.
Ever since the 2020 COVID draft that was 100% virtually-executed, there has been a major shift in how the draft itself looks. In the past, most players would descend upon the draft destination for the in-person event and wait for their name to be called on stage. Now, most players opt to watch the draft at their home with friends and family and host parties to celebrate this major career milestone. This year, just 16 draft-eligible players will be in person in Green Bay ready to walk on stage and collect the jersey that they will don on Sundays for the foreseeable future. League partner brands tend to use the in-person draft set up as a key tentpole event to activate with these draft eligible players. Expect official NFL-partner brands like P&G, Toyota, Little Caesars, and Lowe’s to make a major impact not only on-the-ground in Title Town, but also on your TV screen and in the social media feeds of your favorite draft eligible players.
Last year, the 1st round of the draft averaged a 12.1 million viewer audience and totaled an unduplicated audience of 34.3 million viewers. The draft is situated at a moment where fans are hungry for football content, and the viewership numbers highly reflect that. Not only are scores of fans tuning into the draft on TV, they also are swarming to the in event in-person. Over 275,000 fans attended round 1 of the 2024 draft in Detroit, MI and a record total of 775,00 fans attended over the course of the entire 3 day span. People care about this event and are dedicating their valuable time to tune in and attend. This has all led to various rumblings about ESPN’s upcoming renewal rights to televise the draft. ESPN has led the NFL Draft coverage for the past 46 years, however this is the final fully guaranteed season in their agreement with the NFL. It is widely expected that the league and ESPN will reach an agreement soon that will allow the network to continue to lead coverage of the vastly-popular event.
Recently, the NFL has decided to take this event to historic football cities that do not have the infrastructure or ability to host a Super Bowl. Cities like Kansas City, Detroit, and now Green Bay fall into this category. Future plans for the draft are rumored to include cities such as Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Economic impact of the drafts in these cities cannot be overlooked. League officials are estimating more than $100 million in economic activity for the state of Wisconsin, which would be the largest per capita economic impact for any city since the NFL took the event on the road a decade ago.
Fair or not, this draft class is widely considered a “weak” class compared to recent years that was loaded with a ton of top-tier talent depth. However, there are still some huge names that not only will make a huge impact for the teams that draft them next year, but also for the brands that decide to partner with them. Below are the top 5 most marketable players in the 2025 NFL draft that you will undoubtedly see in a mass amount of branded content over the next year. These athletes play a premier position and have the rare combination of recognizability, social following, and a decorated history of playing on the biggest of stages in college that will give each the opportunity to vault to immediate stardom in the NFL.
UEG’s Top 5 Most Marketable Players:
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