Credit: Nestle

Nestlé is taking its long-running investment in youth sports to a broader international stage through a new multi-year marketing partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA), with Nigeria among 21 markets covered by the agreement.

Under the partnership, Milo, Nescau and Nesquik will become Official Partners of the NBA from January 1, 2027, creating new opportunities for the brands to connect with basketball fans while encouraging greater youth participation in the sport.

For Nigeria, the agreement gives Milo an opportunity to extend a basketball programme that has already become a major part of the brand’s identity in the country. The Milo Basketball Championship, which has been running for 26 editions, reached more than 13,000 schools across Nigeria in 2026.

The new partnership therefore places Milo’s established grassroots basketball platform alongside the NBA’s international reach, potentially giving Nestlé a wider avenue for engaging young people, families and basketball fans.

Nestlé said the agreement is its largest international brand collaboration to date and reflects its strategy of concentrating its marketing investments on fewer, larger global platforms that can be activated consistently across different markets while retaining local relevance.

The partnership will cover 21 markets across four continents, including Nigeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. The Philippines is expected to join the programme from October 2027.

Beyond conventional brand visibility, the collaboration is expected to focus heavily on youth basketball development. Nestlé and the NBA plan to create opportunities for young people and families to engage with the sport through selected NBA development programmes and platforms.

These include Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA, NBA Basketball School, Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Coaches Academies, Her Time To Play and NBA 3X. The partnership will also extend to selected NBA events and fan engagement platforms, including NBA Global Games and NBA House.

For Nestlé, the strategy links its portfolio of youth-oriented brands with a sport that has a strong international following, while providing opportunities to build consumer experiences around participation rather than advertising alone.

“For decades, our brands have believed in the power of sport to bring out the best in people,” said Liberato Milo, SVP Head of Confectionery & Snacking Strategic Business Unit at Nestlé.

“From Milo and Nescau sports programs to Nesquik athlete partnerships and initiatives, we have seen how sport can energize people, build confidence and create healthy habits. Together with the NBA, we will use the power of basketball to connect with consumers at scale, create locally relevant experiences and inspire more young people and families to get active and enjoy the game.”

In Nigeria, the significance of the agreement is particularly tied to Milo’s long-standing relationship with grassroots basketball.

Wassim Elhusseini, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Nigeria, said the NBA partnership would build on the foundation established through Milo’s basketball activities in the country.

“Basketball has become an important part of the Milo story in Nigeria, creating opportunities for young people to participate in sport while developing values such as discipline, resilience, teamwork and self-belief. This partnership with the NBA builds on that strong foundation, connecting our longstanding commitment to basketball in Nigeria with a truly global platform,” he said.

Elhusseini added that the partnership would help the brand deepen engagement with basketball while encouraging more young people to become active and discover their potential through the sport.

The commercial side of the agreement will also feature retail activations and consumer-facing promotions. These are expected to include NBA-branded packaging and opportunities for consumers to win NBA tickets, merchandise and other prizes.

From the NBA’s perspective, Nestlé’s established consumer footprint provides another route to reaching basketball audiences in different markets.

“Nestlé is one of the world’s most recognizable brands and has a longstanding connection to consumers across the globe,” said Julie Morris, NBA Senior Vice President of Commercial Development and Media.

“We look forward to leveraging Nestlé’s reach and local market presence to connect with fans in new ways and support the continued growth of basketball around the world.”

With the partnership scheduled to commence in 2027, its Nigerian dimension will be closely watched, particularly given the scale and longevity of Milo’s grassroots basketball investment. The agreement effectively connects a programme that has spent decades building interest in basketball among Nigerian schoolchildren with one of the world’s most recognised basketball platforms.

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