The National Basketball Association and health care company Kaiser Permanente have entered a strategic partnership to promote health and wellness within the league as well as in local communities.
As part of the NBA's first-ever partnership with a health care industry player, Kaiser Permanente has comitted to buying air time during NBA national telecasts on ESPN and TNT, an NBA spokesman confirmed. Kaiser also becomes the official health care expert and consultant internally to the league, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA Development League and USA Basketball. The relationship is Kaiser Permanente's first with a professional sports league.
Kaiser Permanente will also play a key role in the development of an annual NBA Health and Wellness Forum to address health issues affecting NBA fans and local communities. The forum will feature top leaders in the health care industry as well as representatives from the NBA family, the NBA said.
The partership also brings together the NBA's FIT campaign encouraging fans to “Be Active, Eat Healthy, Play Together” with Kaiser Permanente’s “Thrive” campaign focused on helping people to maximize their physical, mental and spiritual health. The two organizations will leverage the NBA’s marquee events, community programming and fitness platforms to get out their message.
Among several initiatives the two groups have planned, Kaiser Permanente will serve as the presenting partner of NBA FIT Live Healthy Week, which began Jan. 21 and runs through Jan. 29. Throughout the week, Kaiser Permanente and the NBA will use social media to encourage fans to make a pledge toward healthier living. NBA FIT team member and Kaiser Permanente ambassador Stephen Curry will join the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 26, for a special partnership tip-off event and Get Fit Clinic at an elementary school in Oakland, Calif.
Additionally, Kaiser Permanente will conduct 14 community health and wellness events annually across NBA, WNBA, and NBA D-League markets.
