The San Antonio Spurs, a National Basketball Association (NBA) team, has announced a partnership with blockchain company Ledger, which is well known amongst crypto traders for its crypto security products. Ledger, the French crypto company, will be the latest sponsor for the Spurs, sponsoring their sports uniforms. The Spurs have a French player on their team, Victor Wembanyama, who joined the team in 2023. However, the Spurs have had other notable French players such as Tony Parker and Boris Diaw. A Spurs spokesperson said that the decision comes as the basketball team has spent decades collaborating on the international stage and wishes to highlight the global nature of basketball as a game, spanning many countries and cultures.
RC Buford, CEO of Spurs Sports and Entertainment, commented that the partnership with Ledger comes as the team wishes to learn more about Victor’s life and to meet his family. The focus on being sponsored by a French company has been a focus of the NBA team. This is the first sports sponsorship made by Ledger, and marks a crucial point where the crypto company is trying to enter the US market. President Trump has deregulated the crypto market, attracting many sports sponsorships from crypto businesses. There was a lull in the market after cryptocurrencies dropped in 2021. However, there has been a turn around in crypto markets, signalling to crypto firms like Ledger that the time is right to sponsor an NBA team. Football remains a key partner for crypto businesses, accounting for 59% of sponsorships in the 2024 to 2025 period. However, crypto exchanges sponsored $565 million during that period with NBA teams, a 20% year on year increase, falling short of just $120 million from an all time high.
Ledger, as part of the sponsorship, will collaborate with the Spurs with community outreach programs, such as with educating people about crypto safety, digital literacy, and financial empowerment. Many of the outreach programs will focus on youth groups so that the crypto company can spread the message about how owning one’s own private wallet is essential for security. The Spurs, as with many NBA teams at this stage, are taking a significant interest in crypto sponsorships including NFTs, DeFi, Web3, and blockchain technology. NBA may be an ideal platform for a crypto sponsorship because the game of basketball has an international audience that includes a large youth cohort. Ledger may also benefit from gaining inroads into the US market and promoting its crypto products to a younger audience. Women’s NBA (WNBA) is also gaining momentum in terms of popularity, possibly being another market that crypto companies could sponsor.
Ledger, the Paris based crypto company, currently has 7.5 million users worldwide, spanning 165 countries and securing over 20% of the world’s crypto. Ledger has commented that the partnership with the Spurs is a natural fit because both entities value educational programs. Ledger currently has an education department to help educate people about how they can secure their digital assets. Ledger may utilise this department to collaborate with the Spurs’ community outreach programs. Ledger also has an Enterprise service which is used by 70 corporations. The Spurs have had many French players join their team. Ledger’s largest market is the US with their crypto security products.
The new jerseys, branded with the Ledger logo, will be displayed on Wednesday, but will not be displayed within an actual game until July 5. The Spurs will be able to wear the new jerseys during the California Classic summer league. The Spurs are focusing a great deal of their marketing efforts on the shared French connection between Ledger and Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs have recently been busy renovating outdoor basketball courts in Paris as part of their outreach program. Ledger may be able to join such community outreach programs such as with the Spurs’ basketball camp which engages students aged 10-14, and teaches them about technical subjects such as mathematics, science, and technology. Ledger may be able to come up with some custom education lessons that teach students about the technology of blockchain and its relation to the world of basketball.
