The NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and WNBA’s Dallas Wings announced a historic sponsorship Sunday.
In the agreement, the Mavericks will become the jersey sponsor for the Wings. It’s the first time a WNBA team has entered this type of partnership with an NBA team under different team ownership.
The Wings debuted the new jerseys Sunday against the Chicago Sky. The uniforms didn’t include their own logo previously and now feature the Mavericks logo, as well as the GEM logo, which stands for “Girls Empowered by Mavericks.” GEM is a program created by the Mavericks to “inspire and empower young females through the use of physical activity as a backdrop to their development and success,” according to a joint statement released Sunday.
“The Mavericks have worked hard to build the best youth-focused programming in the NBA,” Wings president and CEO Greg Bibb said in the statement. “We are incredibly proud to partner with their organization to extend and expand the GEM program’s reach throughout North Texas.
“We are grateful to Cynt Marshall, Mark Cuban and the Mavericks leadership for their commitment to this innovative sponsorship and we look forward to working with them to empower girls through the sport of basketball.”
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In addition to the jersey sponsorship, players and coaches on the Wings will also take part in GEM programs. Part of the outreach will include basketball camps to help girls across North Texas.
“The Dallas Mavericks are proud to work alongside our local WNBA team, the Dallas Wings, to further the empowerment of young girls in North Texas,” Marshall, the Mavericks CEO, said. “We see GEM participants as the talent pool to represent future women in sports, business and other careers, and we are emboldened to move the needle towards female representation and equality.”
The Wings held a news conference to formally announce the partnership in Arlington’s College Park Center on Sunday and livestreamed the event on Facebook.
The financial details of the sponsorship weren’t revealed. The Mavericks logo will remain on the Wings’ jerseys as part of a multi-year contract worth seven figures, according to The Dallas Morning News.