Nestlé and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have entered into a multi-year international partnership that will make Milo, Nescau and Nesquik official partners of the league across 21 countries on four continents, including Nigeria.
The partnership, which takes effect on January 1, 2027, is aimed at encouraging greater youth participation in basketball and creating more opportunities for families to engage with the sport.
In Nigeria, the agreement builds on Milo’s more than two decades of support for youth basketball through the Milo Basketball Championship, which has provided a platform for young players to develop their skills and compete at various levels.
The 26th edition of the championship reached more than 13,000 schools in 2026, giving students opportunities to participate in competitive basketball while developing values and life skills.
Under the new partnership, Nestlé and the NBA will collaborate on youth basketball development programmes and platforms, including Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA, NBA Basketball School, Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Coaches Academies, Her Time To Play and NBA 3X.
The collaboration will also feature activations around selected NBA events and fan-engagement platforms, including NBA Global Games and NBA House.
Nestlé’s Senior Vice-President and Head of Confectionery and Snacking Strategic Business Unit, Liberato Milo, said the partnership would use basketball to encourage more young people and families to embrace active lifestyles.
“For decades, our brands have believed in the power of sport to bring out the best in people,” Milo said.
He added that the partnership would enable Nestlé and the NBA to create locally relevant experiences and connect with consumers while encouraging young people to participate in sport.
Speaking on the agreement, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Nigeria, Wassim Elhusseini, said basketball had become an important part of Milo’s story in Nigeria.
“Basketball has become an important part of the Milo story in Nigeria, creating opportunities for young people to participate in sport while developing values such as discipline, resilience, teamwork and self-belief,” Elhusseini said.
He said the partnership would connect Milo’s longstanding commitment to basketball in Nigeria with a global platform and create opportunities to inspire more young people to participate in the sport.
The partnership will also cover countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ghana, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, while the Philippines is scheduled to join in October 2027.
Nestlé said the initiative would build on its existing sports programmes while leveraging the NBA’s global reach to increase engagement with basketball among young people and families.