New Orleans Pelicans Pick Ibotta As New Patch Partner

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed a deal with Ibotta to be their second-ever jersey patch partner. The deal means that the Denver-based cash-rewards program will be featured on all editions of the Pelicans’ game jerseys for the 2020-21 season. 

Ibotta, which launched in 2012, is a free-to-use, cash-back rewards program for customers making purchases in-store, on mobile apps or through websites. It has accumulated more than 400 million downloads and has more than 1,500 brands and retail partners nationwide.

The NBA has seen success with its patch program. Debuting ahead of the 2017-18 season, it has generated as much as $150 million in revenue. 

• Both the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers also signed new multi-year jersey-patch deals with Vistaprint and Honey, respectively, this week. 
• Several more NBA teams are actively in negotiations for their next jersey-patch agreement, according to CNBC.

Big Easy:

The Pelicans are hoping this next jersey patch partner comes with as much success as its previous deal with food-and-spice company Zatarain’s did. Terms of the Pelicans-Ibotta deal were not disclosed. 

During that time, the Pelicans evolved from a team with an uncertain future into one with superstar potential. Buoyed by the addition of 2019 No. 1 pick Zion Williamson, the Pelicans had a franchise-record 30 national television games scheduled last season. They also saw Williamson be put on the cover of NBA 2K21, where some photos showed the Zatarain’s patch on the jersey while others had the jersey patchless. 

The team selected 13th in the 2020 NBA Draft, picking Alabama’s Kira Lewis Jr.

“[The Pelicans] are a much more relevant franchise today than they were two years ago before Zion Williamson came on the scene,” said Jason Miller, senior vice president and head of properties at Excel Sports Management in July. “Their market has changed substantially from when they did their original deal… and they’re looking to cash in big.”