Sponsor MillerCoors Stops Payments to NBA Teams Due to Lockout

Repercussions of NBA players rejecting a new deal and jeopardising a future deal has already been seen with one sponsor already refusing to pay NBA teams.

MillerCoors, which spends heavily on sports advertising and has sponsorship deals with many NBA teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks, announced it was withholding all payments to its NBA partners until a resolution to the lockout is found.

Peter Marino, a MillerCoors spokesman, said the decision was made after players rejected the NBA’s latest offer. He said the payments will be made in full upon resolution of the bitter dispute.

MillerCoors has been a major sponsor of the Bucks for years. While it is not known what the deal is worth, SportsBusiness Journal reported that three-quarters of MillerCoors’ total TV advertising spending last year – about $214 million – was dedicated to sports.

In addition to MillerCoors, BMO Harris Bank has a sponsorship arrangement with the Bucks and had been speculated to stop payments as well. But a spokesman said the bank had not suspended payments to the Bucks.

“We have been and continue to be a proud sponsor of the Milwaukee Bucks,” said bank spokesman Jim Kappel.