LAS VEGAS, Nev., Jan. 16, 2014 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today the recipients of the NBA Retail Awards, naming the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat the 2012-13 Co-Team Retailers of the Year. The annual honor, awarded by the league since 2002, recognizes best practices in team merchandise sales and operations. This year’s winners were announced at the NBA Team Retail Summit and Product Expo in Las Vegas.
The Warriors and Heat earned the award after an extensive review of all team retailers with criteria including innovative marketing and merchandising programs, breadth of product assortment, customer service, consumer shopping experience, and overall sales success.
The Warriors received the honor for the first time after a breakout year marked by strategic marketing and diverse product merchandising. Along with retail operator Gameday Merchandising, and in partnership with adidas, the Warriors revamped their product marketing and merchandising efforts to capitalize on the team’s popularity and successful season, resulting in record retail sales.
The Heat celebrates its fourth win in the category, the most among all NBA teams. On the heels of its second consecutive NBA title, the Heat achieved record-breaking merchandise sales in-arena and expanded its marketing and retail efforts by opening new retail locations throughout the community. The team recorded the highest regular season, playoffs and Finals retail per cap average in league history.
“This year marks the first time that we have recognized two teams for their excellence in retail execution,” said Brian Keegan, NBA Vice President of Retail Marketing and Development. “The Warriors connected with fans through an in-arena retail transformation that captured the oncourt excitement of one of the league’s most captivating teams, while the Heat expanded its retail footprint in Miami and capitalized on its star power with successful promotions like ‘White Hot.’”

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Contact: Sheena Morales, NBA Communications, (212) 407-8204 or smorales@nba.com