Ken Belson of the New York Times reports:
The N.B.A. has agreed to a four-year sponsorship worth more than $100 million with BBVA, the Spanish financial giant. BBVA will become the official bank of the league, the W.N.B.A. and the N.B.A. Development League.
The bank, which has more than 700 branches in the United States, will dovetail its marketing efforts in the United States with its sports sponsorships in Spain to take advantage of the growing popularity of the N.B.A. in Europe.
The deal is the latest effort by the N.B.A. to raise its profile overseas and attract international investors. The league has made deep inroads in China and last week announced plans to open an office in Moscow. This year, N.B.A. teams will play preseason games in Spain and China, and regular-season games in London. About 20 percent of the players in the N.B.A. were born overseas.
