NBA basketball teams will be able to sell advertising space on their playing jerseys for the first time starting from the 2017-18 season. The NBA said teams in the league, encompassing the biggest basketball clubs in North America, could place a 2.5in (6.3cm) square sponsor's logo. Teams until now have been unable to exploit this lucrative commercial option enjoyed by many other sports. Experts predict the deals will generate more than $4m (£2.8m) a year for clubs. Featuring their brand logo on shirts will give advertisers more opportunity to be seen by fans watching on TV. The concern for teams and players will be how any new deal interacts with existing sponsorship agreements. A player, for example, that is endorsed by Pepsi may not be so keen to wear a Coke logo on their shirt.Company sponsorship is a huge revenue stream for sport globally. According to Price Waterhouse Coopers global sport sponsorship revenue was worth $45.3bn (£32bn) in 2015. Collectively, teams in England's top football division, the Premier League, brought in £200m in the 2015-2016 season from shirt sponsorship alone.
