Panini America (http://www.paniniamerica.net), the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectibles company and the exclusive manufacturer of NBA trading cards, announced on Friday that it has reached a multi-year agreement with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, extending the exclusive relationship that began in 2009 when Panini first entered the U.S. market.
As part of the agreement, Panini America will maintain exclusive rights to use Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame marks and logos on its trading cards and collectible stickers. The relationship also incorporates a number of new enhancements and an expanded presence around Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame events including Enshrinement Weekend, Hoophall Classic and Tip-Off Tournament. In addition, the Basketball Hall of Fame and Panini will work to conduct youth Skills Clinics annually at the Hall of Fame. Panini will also produce special autographed trading cards honoring members of each new class of enshrinees.
“Our exclusive relationship with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has been extremely important to us since we entered the U.S. market in 2009, and we look forward to continuing this partnership for many more years,” said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. “Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame members represent the most collected basketball fraternity in the world and remain a vital part of our officially licensed NBA trading card and sticker collections.”
“We are excited to continue our relationship with Panini America. Over the last three years, the level of commitment to showcasing Hall of Famers on trading cards has been refreshing,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Inc. “We look forward to the continued partnership between Panini America and the Basketball Hall of Fame.”
Panini America is the only company in the world that manufactures licensed trading cards and stickers for the NBA, NFL, NFL PLAYERS, NHL, NHLPA, MLBPA and FIFA World Cup. The company also has exclusive relationships with USA Baseball, USA Basketball and the U.S. Soccer Women’s National Team. In addition Panini also has relationships with the The Pro Football Hall of Fame and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and owns exclusive entertainment licenses with Disney, Justin Bieber and Michael Jackson, and more than 600 global licenses with other sports and entertainment properties.
ABOUT PANINI:
The Panini Group, established almost 50 years ago in Modena, Italy, has subsidiaries throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States. Panini is the world leader in officially licensed collectibles and is the most significant publisher of collectibles in the U.S., with official licenses for MLBPA, NBA, NFL, NHL, FIFA, USA Baseball, Disney, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros. and other key properties from many other licensors. Panini has distribution channels in more than 100 countries and employs a staff of over 800. For more information visit us athttp://www.paniniamerica.net, http://www.paninigroup.com or http://www.paniniamerica.wordpress.com. You can also follow Panini America on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and on YouTube.
ABOUT THE NAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Birthplace of Basketball, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate, men and women. For more information, visit us on the web: http://www.hoophall.com, http://www.facebook.com/BBHOF or on Twitter @hoophall
Media Contact:
Tracy Hackler, Panini America
214-552-3475
thackler(at)paniniamerica(dot)net
Kevin Foley, Basketball Hall of Fame
480-248-6645
kevin.foley(at)positionsports(dot)com
