Shock Doctor announced a multiyear partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to promote mouthguard adoption among basketball players of all levels. As part of the agreement, Shock Doctor has been named the official mouthguard of the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), NBA Development League (NBA D-League) and USA Basketball (USAB).
On the youth level, Shock Doctor will participate in a wide variety of activities with the USA Basketball Youth Development program and Jr. NBA, the league’s youth basketball participation program that teaches the fundamental skills as well as the core values of the game at the grassroots level. Through these programs, USAB, the NBA and Shock Doctor will work together to educate kids and their families about the importance of mouthguards during basketball play.
The partnership will allow Shock Doctor to develop league and team-specific mouthguard retail lines. Shock Doctor also has relationships with some of the league’s top talent including NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, along with NBA All-Star Kevin Love and 2015 NBA champion Harrison Barnes, both of whom are currently competing against each other in the NBA Finals.
“We are proud to partner with industry leader Shock Doctor, which shares our commitment to youth basketball,” said Emilio Collins, NBA Executive Vice President, Global Partnerships. “Together, we will educate kids, parents and coaches in our Jr. NBA and USA Basketball Youth Development programs about the benefits of wearing mouthguards.”
According to the National High School Sports Related Injury Surveillance Study, 2013-2014*, nearly one-third of all high school basketball injuries during competition occur to the head/face.1
“We place great importance across all our brands on providing the best on-court protection so basketball players of all levels can stay healthy and stay in the game,” said Tony Armand, CEO of United Sports Brands, the parent company of Shock Doctor. “Our partnership with the NBA allows us to continue to speak to our key audience – passionate and devoted athletes who know they need the best protective equipment to stay safe on the court.”
United Sports Brands also owns McDavid, Cutters, XO Athletic and Nathan. United Sports Brands is also a portfolio company of Bregal Partners, a private equity investment firm.
Photo courtesy Shock Doctor and DeMarcus Cousins
