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We could extend the championship window, and start to identify periods when certain cities are repeatedly winning titles, aka “Title Town, USA”. And sure, maybe LA was happiest in the early 2000s when the Lakers and Sparks were winning titles every season, and maybe NYC was happiest in the 1980s with an Islanders four-peat and a couple of Giants and Yankees trophies. But I’d argue that there is so much more to the happy fan: * That “pinch me I must be dreaming” feeling that comes with getting to watch one of the best athletes in the world compete for your team, your city, night in and night out. * The “we’ll get them next season” outlook backed up by a solid core of young players or promising draft picks. * Getting a new team, and adopting them as your own. * There’s also the sadness factors: finding out your favorite player has been traded away, and you don’t have the American Express jersey insurance. The dread and disappointment from a promising season going off the rails. Having a team you’ve cheered for your whole life up and move to another city without even a wave goodbye.
Last January, an Atlanta Hawks finance executive sent what seemed like a routine request to the team’s accounting department. He asked that the franchise pay off a $229,968.76 American Express bill for a stay at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas the month before. The Hawks made a detour there for the NBA Cup, where they advanced to the semifinals, and Lester Jones, the team’s senior vice president of financial planning and analysis, wanted the bill paid. A team accountant obliged. But there was no stay at the Wynn, according to federal prosecutors, and no bill for it. It was allegedly part of a yearslong con by Jones to steal money from the Hawks, who employed him in their finance department for nearly a decade. Jones, 46, of Atlanta, was charged with fraud and embezzling $3.8 million from the NBA franchise, according to an indictment brought last week by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Evidence of his alleged crimes was uncovered through a team-backed audit, multiple league sources told The Athletic.
Jones was in a romantic relationship with another team employee, multiple league sources said, and he used some of the money he is accused of stealing to buy her expensive gifts. The woman, who could not be reached for comment, also no longer works for the Hawks. Jones used his position with the Hawks to build a lavish lifestyle for himself, prosecutors allege. He controlled the team’s American Express card account and had the ability to authorize charges, according to prosecutors, authorized multiple corporate cards for himself and had the ability to charge sums for others. He reportedly used that power to spend on trips to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Thailand, Switzerland and other countries; paid for a Porsche; and bought tickets to concerts and other events. Now, he is facing a count of federal wire fraud.
The NBA has renewed its deal with long-standing sponsor American Express. The renewal continues to make the company the official card of the NBA, WNBA and the G League and brings a new asset into the agreement with first-time integration with NBA 2K. Financial terms of the multiyear deal were not disclosed. The NBA 2K integration allows Amex cardholders to buy the NBA 2K22 video game and receive a code for virtual currency that computes to about $10 to use in the digital 2K Store.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has penned a multi-year extension with financial services provider American Express. The agreement will see American Express continue as the official card of the NBA, as well as the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the development competition the NBA G League.
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A group of CEOs and top business executives are pressing Congress to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. Top executives from companies such as Microsoft, Pfizer, the National Basketball Association, Lyft, Etsy, American Express, Mastercard and Conde Nast are part of the effort as a group of Republican senators plan on objecting to Biden’s Electoral College win.
Aside from an abundance of platforms against which to sell, TNT’s NBA business is bolstered by the consistency of its client base. More than 50% of the network’s pro hoops revenue originates with official NBA marketing partners such as Kia Motors, American Express, AT&T, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Michelob Ultra and State Farm. And the league’s newest backer is already pumping marketing dollars into TNT’s coffers: Having been sworn in just yesterday as the official auto retailer of the NBA, CarMax is taking over the sponsorship of the pregame show, NBA Tip-Off.
The NBA's top corporate sponsors have donated $3.3 million over the last two years to support the reelection of members of Congress who received an "F" rating by the NAACP, the nation's largest civil rights organization. NBA sponsors, including Google, AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, State Farm, and American Express, enhance their corporate image and profile through their association with NBA players. Their logos are emblazoned on uniforms and displayed on the court. Their commercials are aired during breaks in play. But their political giving is out of step with a league that, since the resumption of play in Orlando, has aggressively embraced racial justice.
Silver relied on relationships he had formed to help him understand coronavirus and its potential impact. One of Silver’s strengths, beyond his intelligence and marketing skills, is his ability to maintain connections, never knowing when someone might be able to help, one person told USA TODAY Sports. Silver also has an influential circle of trusted confidants including former American Express CEO Ken Chenault and former Disney CEO Bob Iger.
In a Manhattan courtroom, the former NBA point guard was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for gun possession. When the verdict was read, Telfair lost his mind. “Please don’t take me from society right now,’’ begged the former Lincoln HS star. “I am 34. I can go play in China for six years and take care of my family. I’m waiting for my daughter right now to get her period. Real mental illness because I wasn’t around … She hasn’t even gotten her period yet.” ‘Put a gun in his hand and fight for us n—- … I go to the gun store. I got an American Express,’ he added.
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More trouble for ex-NBA player Sebastian Telfair -- this time, it's money problems ... 'cause the 2004 1st-round NBA Draft pick is now in the hole for more than $40k to American Express. It's all in a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports ... which shows the 33-year-old former high school phenom never paid his $43,051.69 bill to the credit card company -- and now they're trying to collect.
The jersey patches only account for $137 million of this year’s total, IEG/ESP says. That’s a small chunk of the $1.12 billion, but it’s $137 million that is entirely new this season, since the patches are new. The average patch deal pays a team $6.5 million per year, and most are two-year deals. The lion’s share of the $1.12 billion comes from league-level sponsors: big blue-chip consumer brands like Anheuser-Busch InBev, American Express, Frito-Lay and Gatorade (both part of PepsiCo), Nike, and State Farm, which IEG/ESP says is the No. 1 most active NBA sponsor. “Our partners continue to activate with us at extraordinary levels and integrate into our platforms year-round,” says the NBA’s SVP of global partnerships Kerry Tatlock.
All of those ingredients have the makings of what believe would be a competitive seven-game NBA Finals series. Well, not everyone thinks that way. “We would probably sweep them,” Johnson said on Monday at an American Express-sponsored event at the Conga Room in L.A. Live. They’re too small.”
Federal prosecutors said Ourand stole at least $75,000 from a non-profit created by "Athlete C" and spent another $40,000 of that athlete's money by creating a fraudulent American Express card. The SEC filing states Ourand managed "the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, which funds humanitarian work in the Democratic Republic on the Congo," where Mutombo was born.