The NBA introduced jersey sponsorships a few seasons ago. We've seen big business sponsor jerseys. But now we have the first social media influencer partnering with an NBA team. Mr. Beast and the Charlotte Hornets announced a partnership for the 2023/24 season. Specifically Mr. Beast's chocolate brand "Feastables". The deal marks the first in NBA history between a team and a social media influencer. Who is Mr. Beast? He's a youtuber. And his video are crazy! He does an assortment of videos, but they mostly all involve Mr. Beast handing out huge sums of money. Sometimes it is for other youtubers, and sometimes it is random people at Wal-Mart. The video's are amazing and they have turned Mr. Beast into a multi-millionaire. Forbes reported last year that Mr. Beast has a net worth of $500 million.
This is a good deal for Mr. Beast and the Charlotte Hornets. Mr. Beast gets one of his products advertised to the masses that normally don't watch his videos. The Charlotte Hornets get talked about for a little. That is priceless for the Charlotte Hornets. This is a franchise that has remained irrelevant since coming back into existence as the Bobcats originally in 2004. Outside of having some sweet apparel, the Hornets could go away tomorrow and very few NBA fans would care. Mr. Beast brings new eyeballs to their product and could develop a new young fan base. I know my son was very excited when I told him that Feastables will be on an NBA team's jersey this season. That excitement was muted slightly when I told him it would be with the Charlotte Hornets. His exact response was "who?". This is the first move of it's kind, and probable not the last.
