Hennessy Becomes the Official Spirit of the NBA
Sips and hoops.
Image via Instagram @hennessy.
Following its “Never Stop, Never Settle” motto, Hennessy adds another prestigious collaboration to its portfolio. With the announcement of a multiyear deal that also covers the Women’s National Basketball Association and USA Basketball, the French cognac house has become the official spirit of the NBA. This is the association’s first global partnership with a spirits brand.
“We are honoured by the distinction as the first global spirit partner in the NBA’s history,” says Julie Nollet, Hennessy global CMO. “The NBA is more than basketball, and Hennessy is more than cognac. We represent global communities, and this partnership empowers us to support a game and culture that brings people together through entertainment and camaraderie despite the current challenges faced by fans around the world. We share the NBA’s core values of integrity, teamwork, respect and innovation, which are more powerful than ever as we work to inspire and unite people across the globe.
The relationship will start with the introduction of an adaptation of the Hennessy x NBA: the Lines campaign, which honours people involved with the game. Fans all over the world will be able to toast with new limited-edition Hennessy VS and VSOP bottles created to commemorate the partnership.
To kick off the collaboration in Canada, Hennessy threw an event early August in downtown Montreal, unveiling a basketball court decorated by local artist Francorama. Located in Little Italy’s Parc Soeur-Madeleine-Gagnon, the Hidden Court mural representats the city’s love of art and athletics. The court is now open to the public.
“I always try to capture the spirit of the brand I am working with, and then the space I have to work with,” Francorama says. “With this collaboration with Hennessy, the NBA ,and the City of Montreal, I wanted to create a work that reveals itself to the viewer’s mind first.”
The new court in Montreal; photo via Instagram @jfsavaria.
In the spirit of supporting local art, Hennessy announced it will further solidify the value of artistic contributions in communities by donating $10,000 to L’Artothèque, an association selected by Francorama.
Hennessy is no stranger to standing up for local businesses, having founded Unfinished Business last year to assist small companies overcome the financial hurdles posed by COVID-19 and ensure they have the means to recover. In March of this year, it also founded the Never Stop Never Settle Society, a new Black business growth accelerator.
Read a full history of the famous cognac maison here.
