NEW
YORK and DALLAS,
Oct. 24,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Basketball
Association (NBA) and Wingstop (NASDAQ: WING) today announced a
multiyear partnership making Wingstop the Official Chicken Partner
of the NBA and NBA G League. The agreement marks Wingstop's first
official partnership with a major U.S. professional sports
league.
As Wingstop continues to grow its footprint with more than 2,350
restaurants and counting, the supercharged flavor brand will
leverage media exposure through virtual and courtside signage
during nationally televised NBA broadcasts and will appear on the
leagues' social and digital platforms throughout the season.
"Our fans love watching NBA while enjoying our cooked-to-order
wings, hand sauced-and-tossed in our bold flavors," said
Michael Skipworth, Wingstop's
President & CEO. "This partnership is another demonstration of
Wingstop being in a category-of-one, claiming our spot as the
Official Chicken and Official Wing Partner of the NBA."
As part of the partnership, Wingstop will have a significant
presence at NBA All-Star, beginning with NBA All-Star 2025 in the
San Francisco Bay Area. Flavor fans can get excited for
Wingstop to become the presenting partner of the Ruffles NBA
All-Star Celebrity Game Green Carpet, which showcases celebrity
arrivals in advance of the annual exhibition game and will be held
on Friday, Feb. 14 at Oakland
Arena.
"Wingstop is an industry leader that has established
itself as a mainstay in the gameday routines of many of our fans,"
said Julie Morris, NBA Senior Vice
President of Commercial Development and Media. "We welcome
Wingstop to the NBA family and look forward to collaborating on
unique and exciting ways to engage with our fans, bringing them
closer to the sport they love."
The partnership builds on Wingstop's existing relationships with
the NBA family, which include team partnerships with the Chicago
Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and New
York Knicks.
About Wingstop
Founded in 1994 and headquartered
in Dallas, TX, Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) operates and
franchises more than 2,350 locations worldwide. The Wing Experts
are dedicated to Serving the World Flavor through an unparalleled
guest experience and a best-in-class technology platform, all while
offering classic and boneless wings, tenders, and chicken
sandwiches, cooked to order and hand sauced-and-tossed in fans'
choice of 12 bold, distinctive flavors. Wingstop's menu also
features signature sides including fresh-cut, seasoned fries and
freshly-made ranch and bleu cheese dips.
In fiscal year 2023, Wingstop's system-wide sales increased
27.1% to approximately $3.5 billion, marking the 20th
consecutive year of same store sales growth. With a vision of
becoming a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand, Wingstop's system is
comprised of corporate-owned restaurants and independent
franchisees, or brand partners, who account for approximately 98%
of Wingstop's total restaurant count of 2,352 as of June 29,
2024.
About the NBA
The National Basketball Association
(NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to
inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of
basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA,
WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa
League, the NBA has established a major international presence with
games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in
60 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200
countries and territories on all seven continents. NBA rosters at
the start of the 2023-24 season featured a record 125 international
players from 40 countries and territories. NBA Digital's assets
include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA
has created one of the largest social media communities in the
world, with more than 2.3 billion likes and followers globally
across all leagues, team and player platforms. NBA Cares, the NBA's
global social responsibility platform, partners with renowned
community-based organizations around the world to address important
social issues in the areas of education, inclusion, youth and
family development, and health and wellness.
About the NBA G League
The NBA's official minor
league, the NBA G League prepares players, coaches, officials,
training and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the
league's research and development laboratory. Featuring 31
teams, 30 with direct affiliations to NBA franchises for 2024-25,
the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable
price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. More than half of
all players on end-of-season 2023-24 NBA rosters boasted NBA G
League experience. In fostering the league's connection to
the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and
wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in
educational development through NBA Cares programs.
Media Contacts
Wingstop:
Maddie Lupori,
Media@wingstop.com
NBA:
Kelsey Boyd, Kboyd@nba.com
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SOURCE Wingstop Restaurants Inc.
