- Milo®, Nescau® and Nesquik® will become Official Partners of the National Basketball Association® (NBA®).
- The partnership will include activations across select NBA youth basketball development programs and platforms.
- Multi-year agreement spans 21 markets across four continents and marks Nestlé’s largest international brand collaboration to date.
Young basketball players and fans in Nigeria are set to benefit from a new international partnership between Nestlé and the National Basketball Association (NBA), as the two organisations move to expand youth participation and fan engagement across 21 markets on four continents.
The multi-year marketing partnership, which takes effect on January 1, 2027, will make Nestlé’s Milo, Nescau and Nesquik brands Official Partners of the NBA.
For Nigeria, the agreement builds on Milo’s more than two-decade involvement in youth basketball development, particularly through the Milo Basketball Championship, one of the country’s longstanding grassroots basketball initiatives.
Now in its 26th edition, the championship reached more than 13,000 schools across Nigeria in 2026, giving young people opportunities to compete while developing life skills associated with sport, including teamwork, discipline, resilience and confidence.
The new NBA partnership is expected to provide another platform for Nestlé to connect that local legacy with the global appeal of professional basketball.
“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,” said Wassim Elhusseini, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Nigeria.
“This partnership with the NBA builds on that strong foundation, connecting our longstanding commitment to basketball in Nigeria with a truly global platform. We are excited about the possibilities this creates to deepen engagement with the sport and inspire even more young people to get active, discover their potential and grow through basketball.”
A global platform with local impact
Nestlé described the agreement as its largest international brand collaboration to date. The company said the partnership forms part of its strategy of concentrating investment on fewer, larger global marketing platforms that can be activated consistently across markets while retaining relevance to local consumers.
Under the agreement, Nestlé and the NBA will create opportunities for young people and families to engage more closely with basketball through youth development programmes, events and fan experiences.
The collaboration will include activations around selected NBA youth basketball initiatives and platforms, including 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 initiative represents an opportunity to connect three of its major brands with basketball audiences while using sport as a vehicle for promoting active lifestyles and youth participation.
“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.”
More opportunities for fans
Beyond youth development, the partnership will include retail programmes and in-market fan experiences designed to bring consumers closer to the NBA.
These initiatives will include on-pack promotions carrying NBA branding, with consumers having opportunities to win NBA tickets, merchandise and other prizes.
The arrangement is intended to combine Nestlé’s extensive consumer and retail presence with the NBA’s international fan base, creating opportunities for both organisations to engage audiences in markets where basketball continues to grow.
Julie Morris, NBA Senior Vice President of Commercial Development and Media, said Nestlé’s international reach would be an important asset in expanding the league’s connection with fans.
“Nestlé is one of the world’s most recognizable brands and has a longstanding connection to consumers across the globe,” said Morris. “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.”
Nigeria at the heart of the basketball story
The partnership carries particular significance for Nigeria, where Milo has used basketball as a major platform for youth engagement for more than 20 years.
Through the Milo Basketball Championship, thousands of schools and young players have been introduced to organised basketball, with the programme extending beyond competition to emphasise personal development and life skills.
The reported reach of more than 13,000 schools in 2026 highlights the scale of that existing grassroots network.
The new partnership with the NBA could therefore provide Nestlé Nigeria with an opportunity to connect its established grassroots programme with one of the world's most prominent basketball brands.
It also comes at a time when Nigerian basketball continues to attract significant interest among young people, with the country's players increasingly visible on international basketball stages.
For young participants, the partnership is expected to offer greater exposure to NBA programmes, coaching initiatives and fan experiences, while reinforcing the role of basketball as a means of encouraging physical activity and personal development.
Partnership spans four continents
The agreement will cover 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, alongside Nigeria.
The Philippines is scheduled to join the partnership from October 2027.
With activation across 21 markets and four continents, the collaboration represents a significant expansion of Nestlé’s sports-marketing strategy and gives the NBA another major international commercial partner.
For Nigeria, however, the significance extends beyond branding and commercial activity. At its core, the partnership seeks to build on an existing youth basketball foundation and create more avenues for children, families and fans to participate in and connect with the sport.
As the partnership begins in 2027, Nestlé and the NBA will look to turn that global agreement into locally relevant programmes — with Nigeria positioned to build on more than two decades of Milo’s investment in developing the next generation of basketball players and enthusiasts.