US-based fantasy sports operator DraftKings has further expanded its presence in the North American NBA basketball market after it entered into a partnership with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Under the deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, DraftKings will become a presenting sponsor of the franchise’s TimberWolves Team Stats social media feature and the WolvesCast official team podcasts.
DraftKings will also benefit from a branding presence on digital courtside and basket stanchion signage during the team’s games at its Target Center home.
In addition, the operator will have a presence on the franchise’s official website and will activate a range of social media promotions in partnership with the team.
DraftKings will also introduce new ‘Live Like a King’ fan sweepstakes that will give supporters the chance to win VIP tickets to home matches as well as transport to and from the game, a custom team jersey, pre-match dinner, a pre-game bench sit and a centre court photo opportunity.
“Fantasy sports gaming is a huge and rapidly growing industry and is something that many of our fans are interested and engaged in,” Timberwolves senior vice-president and chief revenue officer Ryan Tanke said.
“This partnership and industry category opens up some great new opportunities to further connect and engage with our fans.”
Paul Liberman, co-founder of DraftKings, added: “We want daily fantasy sports to engage and electrify fans, and we’re looking forward to making that happen for Timberwolves fans by providing them with unique experiences and new ways to interact with the sport.”
The agreement marks DraftKings’ fourth partnership in the NBA, having already entered into similar deals with the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics.
The operator has also established relationships with North American NHL ice hockey league as well as NFL American football teams the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots.
