Coinbase announced Friday that it is now an official partner of the Los Angeles Clippers via a sponsorship deal, making the cryptocurrency exchange a prominent fixture for fan engagement and branding at the NBA team’s new $2 billion arena, the Intuit Dome.

The deal marks a multi-year engagement between both parties that will offer fans exclusive experiences, limited-edition merchandise, and unique digital and physical collectibles. Financial details of the partnership were not disclosed.

“Coinbase aims to leverage this partnership to educate and engage the Clippers’ fan base about blockchain technology and cryptocurrency,” a Coinbase representative told Decrypt. “The goal is to provide a fun and safe pathway for fans to explore the transformative potential of these technologies and drive mainstream adoption.”

As part of the effort to educate and engage Clippers fans, Coinbase will offer new and existing users $5 in Bitcoin (BTC), alongside season-long benefits for creating a Coinbase account.

Coinbase branding will be prevalent on in-arena signage inside the Intuit Dome, the new arena the Clippers are calling home for the first time this year.

Being crypto-adjacent is not new for the Clippers, who previously played their home games in Crypto.com Arena, sharing the space with the Los Angeles Lakers and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.

Coinbase maintains a sponsorship deal with the NBA and WNBA, and recently has revealed alliances with other major sporting leagues, inking a deal earlier this year with the Canadian Football League and re-upping its agreement with Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. The exchange is also a sponsor of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, as announced in October.

The company’s eagerness to ink sponsorships signals a broader trend in crypto and sporting brand deals. The amount of new crypto sponsorship deals in major sports is on the rise this year, increasing more than 200% from 2023, according a September report from CoinGecko.

Edited by Andrew Hayward

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