All eyes will be on the Philadelphia 76ers this season with the arrivals of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. And fans will see a new logo on the team’s jersey, as the club and Bloom Energy disclosed a multiyear partnership.
The agreement is the second-biggest jersey patch deal in the NBA, according to two people familiar with the details. The 76ers and Bloom declined to comment on the financials. Crypto.com was the team’s patch partner for the previous five years, and the team and firm mutually agreed to end it a year early.
The Golden State Warriors have by far the biggest jersey deal. In June, they signed a deal with AI cloud provider Iren worth more than $50 million per year. That represented the richest sponsorship deal in the history of North American team sports. The Los Angeles Lakers (Albert) and New York Knicks (Experience Abu Dhabi) also have deals worth more than $20 million annually,
Bloom, which makes oxide fuel cells, is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., but has roots in the region, including its second-largest manufacturing hub located a few miles from Philadelphia in Newark, Del. It employs nearly 1,200 people there, with many of them living in Philadelphia.
“This is our second home,” KR Sridhar, Bloom Energy founder and CEO, said in a video interview. “They are trying to power the team forward. We are trying to power the state and the country forward.” Sridhar said the company’s next phase of growth will be powering factories, college campuses, hospitals and more reliably.
Bloom will partner with the NBA team on several of its community initiatives and the two will make a seven-figure community investment. Bloom will also be the jersey sponsor of the 76ers’ G League team, the Delaware Blue Coats.
The partnership will generate significant brand awareness for Bloom, with the 76ers set to have the maximum 34 national TV appearances during the 2026-27 regular season.
Bloom generated $3.1 billion in revenue over the last 12 months and has an $81 billion market cap. Its stock has been on fire, up 320% in a year, as AI infrastructure needs fueled energy demand. Last week, Bloom was added to the S&P 500, replacing Molson Coors Beverage.
The 76ers shocked the NBA world when they landed James two months ago on a two-year, $8 million free-agent contract, beating out the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and other suitors for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. The signing spurred a surge in interest in the club for ticketing and sponsorships.
The 76ers and Bloom started conversations on their partnership around the time James signed, said Tad Brown, CEO of the 76ers and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. The James signing “put wind in our sails” on the business side leading up to the season, according to Brown.
“You have to be prepared for it,” Brown said. “We’ve been building the same infrastructure and the same brand for the period that I’ve been here and before. So, what has happened most recently is it’s really given us an opportunity to take advantage of some of the new excitement around the club.”
Sports consulting firm Elevate, which is part-owned by HBSE, facilitated the relationship between Bloom and the Sixers.
The 76ers tip off their season Oct. 20 at Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks will raise their championship banner on the NBA’s opening night.
