On June 22, 2020 it was announced that the Minnesota Timberwolves had hired Excel Sports Management to assist in securing the team’s next jersey patch sponsor.
This is not Excel’s first run in the jersey-sponsorship space, as it has negotiated these deals in the past on behalf of other franchises. Most notably, Excel helped the Charlotte Hornets secure a deal with LendingTree in 2017 worth between $5M and $7M annually according to SportsBusinessDaily. Excel also helped the Chicago Bulls secure a deal with Zenni Optical in 2018 as well as ROKiT and the Houston Rockets that same year. There is supposedly a fourth Excel-led deal that will be announced later this year.
Said Excel’s SVP Head of Properties, Jason Miller, “it is truly an honor to be working with a first-class organization like the Minnesota Timberwolves. We see this opportunity as one of the most relevant and compelling positions available across the international sports landscape….”
FitBit was the team’s previous jersey sponsor, but that three year agreement ended this month.
Said the T-Wolves Chief Operating Officer Ryan Tanke, “the team partners have became an extension of the organization in so many ways. In our case, we want a partner that is fully integrated into the organization….”
Although the T-Wolves were not one of the teams invited to the NBA’s return in Orlando, FL, the team was a key contributor to COVID-19 research these past few months, spearheading a league wide coronavirus study.