NBA refs suddenly have sponsored Emirates patches on their uniforms and fans weren't happy

After the NBA’s All-Star break, officials have a new look on their jerseys.

The league quietly announced a partnership with Emirates airline on one of the busiest days of the year in the NBA, publishing a press release just hours before the trade deadline. The company announced that it would officially become the title sponsor for the NBA’s In-Season Tournament, now known as the Emirates NBA Cup.

Also included in that release was the news that the Emirates logo will appear on all referee jerseys, starting with the NBA’s All-Star Game in Indiana. But it isn’t just in the NBA. All referees in the WNBA (beginning in 2025) and in the G League (starting in 2024-25) will also wear Emirates patches.

Many may have missed this information if they were focused on the winners and losers of the trade deadline. After the league returned from the brief All-Star break, though, it did not take long for fans to notice the sponsorship:

NBA referees are now wearing sponsors on their jerseys pic.twitter.com/suLIV1QtW5

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 23, 2024

Here is more from Chris Herring (via ESPN):

“The move comes at a time when NBA viewership is up from last year on the major networks and at a time when the league’s referees are being shown on television far more than in the past.

Television cameras generally zoom in on lead officials as they finalize their rulings over an in-arena microphone following coach’s challenges, where referees review replays of debatable calls — a process that often takes minutes at a time. The number of reviews has increased in recent years, as league stakeholders voted in 2023 to allow clubs a third challenge if a coach requests and is successful with his first two tries.”

Now that the patches are public, basketball fans shared their thoughts: