Photo: Knicks Reveal Jersey Logo Patch for 'Experience Abu Dhabi' for 2024 NBA Season

Doric SamOct 17, 2024

The New York Knicks will have a new sponsor represented on their jersey patch for the 2024-25 season.

Per The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov, the logo of Experience Abu Dhabi, an organization that promotes tourism in the United Arab Emirates capital, will be included on Knicks jerseys, warmup jackets and shooting shirts.

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Vorkunov added that the deal to have the Experience Abu Dhabi logo as the jersey patch for the Knicks "will further the relationship between Madison Square Garden and the UAE, as well as between the NBA and UAE." As part of the deal, Experience Abu Dhabi will also have advertising before, during and after Knicks games on MSG Network.

The deal follows an announcement from earlier this week that MSG will open a second version of the Sphere in Abu Dhabi. The Sphere, which is located in Las Vegas, and MSG are both controlled by Knicks owner James Dolan. The Sphere was the team's jersey patch last season.

In addition to the Knicks' partnership with the UAE, the deal expands the NBA's business ties to the region. The league has played preseason games in the UAE for three straight years, and Team USA played exhibition games there in preparation for the Paris Olympics this past summer. The NBA Cup is sponsored by Emirates Airlines.

Vokunov noted that the NBA has been criticized for these dealings because of the UAE's alleged history of human rights violations, leading some to accuse the league of being complicit in sportswashing. NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed those criticisms earlier this month.

"We're happy to deal directly with the issues. Nothing these days is completely clean," Silver said about criticisms from human rights groups. "We wouldn't say that it's not fair to be critical or have contrary points of view. We came to the decision collectively as a league that by expanding our game internationally, that it's positive and it's part of our mission to create health and wellness around the sport of basketball."