US men’s and women’s basketball’s elite NBA and WNBA competitions have announced a new partnership with luxury clothing brand Fear of God.

The multi-year deal will see Fear of God create apparel collections themed around the two leagues and their respective franchises, beginning with the NBA Essentials collection launched today.

The collection will also be carried on the NBA and WNBA’s official stores and on Fanatics, the e-commerce partner of the two leagues, as of November 27.

Select physical touchpoints, such as the NBA’s own physical stores or those of its franchises, will also carry Fear of God NBA collection clothing, as of course will Fear of God’s own retail touchpoints.

The worlds of basketball and fashion have long been intertwined, with everything from replica NBA jerseys to basketball sneakers becoming items of major prominence in global fashion.

Fear of God will now become the latest to capitalize on this by utilizing the brands of a number of the top NBA and WNBA franchises, which themselves are global branding powerhouses.

This includes iconic NBA teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Chicago Bulls, among others, as well as WNBA teams such as the New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks, and the Chicago Sky.

The Lakers alone boast over 158 million combined team followers across the main account and those of its players (as of December 10, 2023).

Merchandising is a cornerstone of the NBA’s global business and a prominent method through which it sustains its global influence.