MILAN – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Intesa Sanpaolo, one of Italy’s and Europe’s leading banking groups, announced today that Intesa Sanpaolo is now the exclusive retail banking partner of the NBA in Italy.  The announcement follows Intesa Sanpaolo’s recent acquisition of UBI Banca, who previously held the partnership with the league.

Today’s announcement coincides with the 2021 NBA Playoffs, which tipped off on May 22 and culminates with The Finals in July.

Intesa Sanpaolo will conduct NBA promotions to reward new and existing customers with exclusive NBA offers.  Details regarding customer benefits will be announced at a later date.

“We are extremely happy to continue the partnership with the NBA in Italy,” said Head of the Banca dei Territori Division of Intesa Sanpaolo, Stefano Barrese.  “It is going to be a very engaging experience for all our customers, with an emphasis on entertainment and the universal values that sports embody.  For our Group, inclusion, sustainability and innovation are paramount.  We are developing exclusive benefits and products to get even more into the spirit and feel part of the global NBA community and we will also be promoting initiatives that will have a major social impact for the benefit of our communities.”

“We are pleased to welcome Intesa Sanpaolo as an official partner of the NBA in Italy and look forward to further developing this new partnership and supporting their brand positioning and marketing objectives,” said NBA EME Director, Global Partnerships, Nick Cowell.  “Intesa Sanpaolo is a prestigious brand across Europe and we are eager to collaborate to engage NBA fans through bespoke activations and dynamic media campaigns.”

Fans in Italy can find more NBA information at nba.com/italia, the league’s official online destination in Italy hosted on sport.sky.it/nba, and on Facebook (NBA Italia), Twitter (@NBAItalia) and Instagram (@NBAEurope).  In addition, fans can watch live NBA games on Sky Italia’s dedicated NBA channel Sky Sport NBA.  A full range of official NBA merchandise is available at the NBA Store in Milan and by visiting NBAStore.eu.

About Intesa Sanpaolo
Intesa Sanpaolo is the leading Bank in Italy and one of the soundest and most profitable banks in Europe. It offers commercial, corporate investment banking, asset management and insurance services. The Intesa Sanpaolo Group has approximately 13.5 million customers in Italy who are assisted through both digital and traditional channels and 7.1 million customers abroad with subsidiaries operating in commercial banking in 12 countries in Central Eastern Europe and Middle Eastern and North African areas and an international network of specialists in support of corporate customers across 25 countries. Intesa Sanpaolo is recognized as one of the most sustainable banks in the world. For the Group, creating value means being a driver for growth, for the benefit of both society and the economy. As regards the environment, the Group has set up a 6-billion-euro fund for the circular economy. Intesa Sanpaolo supports major economic inclusion and poverty reduction projects, including an impact fund of 1.5 billion euro for loans available to social groups who struggle to access credit. Intesa Sanpaolo has a high level of involvement in cultural initiatives, organised by the Bank or in collaboration with other entities in Italy and further afield. These include permanent and temporary exhibitions showcasing the Bank’s impressive artistic heritage at the Gallerie d’Italia, the Group’s museums located in Milan, Naples, Vicenza and soon Turin.

Web site: group.intesasanpaolo.com | News: https://group.intesasanpaolo.com/en/newsroom/news | Twitter: @intesasanpaolo | Facebook: @intesasanpaolo | LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/intesa-sanpaolo | Instagram:  @intesasanpaolo

About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League.  The NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) also jointly operate the Basketball Africa League (BAL).  The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2020-21 season featured 107 international players from 41 countries.  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 1.9 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.