Kim Kardashian‘s SKIMS is now the official underwear partner of the NBA, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and USA Basketball. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense for the NBA.
This Makes Sense For The NBA
Of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the NBA is the one most closely associated with pop culture, and has the biggest social media presence. Two areas that Kardashian herself dominates. Not to mention she’s dated a baller or two…
“SKIMS has quickly become one of our most culturally-influential brands,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver in a press release. “We look forward to bringing NBA fans and SKIMS users unique experiences, new offerings and premium products through our partnership.
“Together, SKIMS, the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball will leverage the power of basketball to generate excitement and demand, by showing up in unexpected ways. Fans will see the partnership come to life at future marquee events, including NBA All-Star and the NBA In-Season Tournament.”
Despite Kardashian’s ubiquity in pop culture and seemingly unserious things, she is a legitimate businesswoman.
Kim Kardashian Is A Legit Businesswoman
Kardashian has a net worth of over $1 billion, she has had a hand in a number of businesses over the past 20 years, including the “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood” video game (2014 – present), which was acquired by Glu Mobile in a $2.4 billion deal in 2021, and her emojis or “Kimojis” (2015 – 2018), which reportedly made $1 million per minute in its heyday.
In 2009, she launched the shoe subscription service ShoeDazzle with Brian Lee and Robert Shapiro, which was later bought by JustFab in 2013 with an estimated value of $30 million at the time, per Business Insider.
Kim launched KKW Beauty, in 2017 and KWW Fragrance. She launched SKIMS in 2019, and the company sold $2 million worth of products just minutes after it debuted. Today, the company is valued at $3.2 billion.
SKIMS launched its menswear division on October 26, featuring Oklahoma City Thunder’s star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as brand pioneer.
Her latest venture is private equity firm SKKY Partners, which launched in September 2022 to invest and build in hospitality, media, and luxury businesses.
The NBA is fighting for eyes, viewers, and mindshare like every other entertainment property. Not to mention they are negotiating their next media rights deal. They need to show potential broadcast partners that there is a tremendous appetite to consume their product. If that means tapping into the Kardashian fan base, so be it.
You can see it now, an episode of “The Kardashians” where Kim is talking about an event or shoot with the NBA and star player X, and how it’s going. Or that she finds star player X, to be “cute.” There will be people who otherwise wouldn’t tuning in to that player’s games to catch a glimpse. Look how many “Swifties” tune in to Kansas City Chiefs games.
This is the world of sports and entertainment in 2023. There is no line. It’s all one thing.
