The Thunder finally have a jersey patch sponsorship.
The organization announced on Friday an agreement with Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores to expand its partnership to include the placement of the Love’s heart logo on the Thunder jersey for all games.
The company was founded in 1964 when the first filling station opened in Western Oklahoma. The family-owned company now has over 500 locations across 41 states.
With the agreement in place, the Thunder become the final team in the NBA to add a jersey patch sponsorship. The team was the last standing in December when the Indiana Pacers reached a jersey deal with Motorola.
The Thunder and Love’s designed a custom logo for the jersey patches, according to ESPN. The agreement ranks in the top 10 in average annual value, which is likely just under $10 million per season.
The NBA started to allow teams to place sponsorship logos on their jerseys prior to the 2017-18 season in an attempt to gain additional revenue for teams.
Some teams immediately jumped at the opportunity as the Philadelphia 76ers became the first team to sell an advertisement on their jersey after they reached a deal with StubHub.
Many around the league assumed it was only a matter of time before the Thunder unveiled a jersey sponsor given its financial benefits. Jersey patches are said to bring in $150 million per season for NBA teams.
The jerseys sold at the Thunder Team Shop at Chesapeake Energy Arena will include the Love’s jersey patch while all other retail locations will sell the jerseys without the patch.
The Thunder will debut the jersey patches on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors.
