NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced winners of the 2025 NBA Team Sales & Marketing Awards yesterday at the league’s annual NBA Sales & Marketing Meeting in Miami.

The Boston Celtics were presented with the NBA Team of the Year Award for their success across several business areas, including team-record revenue in ticketing, partnerships, digital content and merchandise, as well as their community initiatives.  Additional team award recipients include the Milwaukee Bucks (Inclusion Leadership Award) and Toronto Raptors (Team Innovation Award).  Cleveland Cavaliers Staffing & Events Manager Cindy Norman and Vice President of Social Impact and Equity Pam Frasco were recognized with the Pete Winemiller Guest Experience Innovation Award and Values of the Game Award, respectively.  The late Jim Morris, former Vice Chairman of Pacers Sports and Entertainment, was also honored with a special Values of the Game Award in recognition of his career achievements, which Pacers Sports and Entertainment CEO Mel Raines accepted on behalf of his family.

All 30 teams had the opportunity to submit a nomination in each category for awards recognizing exceptional work from Oct. 2023 – Oct. 2024, with a committee of league and team executives choosing the winners.

“Year after year, our teams continue to raise the bar when it comes to delivering elevated fan experiences and driving impact in their markets,” said Jonathan Tillman, NBA Executive Vice President, Head of Team Marketing and Business Operations (TMBO). “This year’s NBA Sales & Marketing Award winners distinguished themselves with a high level of creativity, innovation and passion that resulted in amazing work that benefitted fans, partners and stakeholders alike.”

NBA Team of the Year: Boston Celtics

The Celtics’ NBA record 18^th NBA championship coincided with incredible off-court success last year, resulting in the NBA Team of the Year Award recognition.  They launched a multi-year deal with Amica Mutual Insurance – their exclusive Auto, Home, and Life Insurance Partner – that included a jersey patch partnership.  The team experienced significant growth across several fan engagement categories, including record viewership of Celtics games on their regional sports network and more than 880 million global video views across social and digital platforms.  The in-arena atmosphere at TD Garden was best-in-class as they sold out every home game of the 2023-24 season, had a 99% season ticket renewal rate and became the first NBA team to offer AR enhanced commemorative tickets for the 2024 NBA Finals.  A nearly 19% increase in sales on Celtics.com/shop helped the team set a new team merchandise sales record.

The team’s impact extended into the local community through efforts with Curbside Care, a healthcare equity initiative between the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation and Boston Medical Center, a first-of-its-kind mobile care unit.  The Celtics also advocated for legislation that would extend the jurisdiction of juvenile courts to 20 years old and announced the creation of an early education school within a public housing facility in Providence, R.I.  As part of a commitment to delivering and providing greater access to youth basketball programing, the Celtics expanded their Jr. Celtics Academy (JCA) presented by New Balance offerings, including launching JCA All-Girls Showcases presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.  Amica Mutual Insurance also became the entitlement partner for JCA Clinics.

NBA Inclusion Leadership Award: Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks received the NBA Inclusion Leadership Award for their continued commitment to creating development opportunities and supporting individuals of different backgrounds.  Their annual “System Impacted Rotational Program” provided 10-12 individuals from the Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center (through the Huber Work Release program) with hands-on training and work experience at games and events at Fiserv Forum.  Eight program participants have received full-time positions with the Bucks since 2021.  As part of the team’s partnership with Beyond Vision, the Bucks continue to offer employment opportunities for individuals who are visually impaired as they take on customer service responsibilities for events and games.  Through the Marquette Fellowship Program, students of diverse backgrounds received learning opportunities and exposure to careers in sports and entertainment, including participating in projects with departments within the Bucks organization.  Fellows were involved with Bucks employee resource groups, which offer opportunities to network, develop and build leadership skills.  Since the program launched in 2022, all fellows have been extended as summer interns for the team.

NBA Team Innovation Award: Toronto Raptors

The Raptors secured the NBA Team Innovation Award after spearheading an industry-leading Gen AI Innovation Program that features key projects designed to improve efficiency.  Notably, they launched the world’s first AI-powered declarative video editing system, which has streamlined the editing process for content and highlights.  Additionally, their League Rules Assistant technology incorporates a specialized Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipeline that contextualizes historical NBA initiatives to help identify promotional opportunities to better engage fans.  The Raptors demonstrated how NBA teams can use AI and cutting-edge technology to find synergy with existing workflows.

Pete Winemiller Guest Experience Innovation Award: Cindy Norman, Cleveland Cavaliers

The Pete Winemiller Guest Experience Innovation Award was awarded to Cleveland Cavaliers Staffing & Events Manager Cindy Norman, whose 50-year legacy with the team began in 1974 as an usher. Cindy’s leadership, unique perspective on guest service and ability to innovate and problem-solve in creative and compassionate ways has created a family dynamic and atmosphere at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.  Among the many ideas and efforts she led are the development of noise-dampening headphones for a young fan with autism, introducing the “snaking” seating arrangement to help fans with mobility challenges and developing a new-hire training program.  The award pays tribute to the late Pete Winemiller, former Senior Vice President of Guest Relations for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

NBA Values of the Game Award: Pam Frasco, Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers Vice President of Social Impact and Equity and Executive Director for the Cavaliers Community Foundation Pam Frasco was given the NBA Values of the Game Award, which recognizes an individual who embodies the NBA’s mission of inspiring and connecting people through the game of basketball.  In her more than 20 years with the team, Pam has personified the NBA’s mission through her work overseeing the team’s community relations efforts focusing on driving impact in areas such as education, health and wellness, community investment, and social justice and equity.  Under her leadership, the team has expanded its social impact and equity division from three to 12 members; completed court refurbishment initiatives in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Brazil; provided meals to more than 300,000 individuals impacted by food insecurity; established a global partnership with the Special Olympics consisting of ambassador programs and clinics; and hosted the 3^rd annual Hoops After Dark program in collaboration with the City of Cleveland, which included basketball and life skills workshops for more than 200 young men as part of the mayor’s violence prevention strategy.  Additionally, the Cavaliers Foundation established the Wine & Gold Gala, which helped raise more than $1 million in funding for the second consecutive year.

NBA Values of the Game Award: Jim Morris, Indiana Pacers

The late Jim Morris, who served as Vice Chairman of Pacers Sports and Entertainment, received a special NBA Values of the Game Award in celebration of his life and career.  Morris joined Pacers Sports and Entertainment in 2007, after a career in public service where he left a lasting impact on the local Indianapolis community and beyond with his relentless desire to support others.  He also helped launch the Indiana Sports Corp., which played a pivotal role in solidifying the overall sports ecosystem in the state.  He devoted much of his life to serving his community and took great pride in seeing Indianapolis develop into a passionate basketball market as he was at the center of elevating Pacers Sports & Entertainment into a first-class organization.  Morris cared deeply about the Pacers and Fever and their role in inspiring and connecting people.  Morris is remembered for having the unique ability to bring people together and was known for hosting gatherings of community, business and political leaders prior to Pacers games that uplifted those around him.

The Pacers hung a banner at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in 2024 in recognition of Morris’ legacy.