Following the announcement as the first official wine partner of the NBA, Kendall-Jackson and Marc J. Spears will work in concert to further bridge the worlds wine and basketball.
Sonoma County, Calif., June 3, 2024 – In April 2024 Kendall-Jackson announced a multiyear partnership as the first Official Wine Partner of the NBA and USA Basketball, a move that further linked the emerging crossover between the cultures of fine wine and sports. Today, Kendall-Jackson announces a further bridge between these two industries with Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and ESPN Andscape Senior Writer Marc J. Spears serving as its NBA Partnership Ambassador. Having been a reporter during NBA Restart, also known as “The Bubble,” Spears had courtside seats to Kendall-Jackson’s early connection with the NBA and has seen firsthand the NBA’s top stars’ growing interest and investment in wine. Kendall-Jackson’s partnership with the league aims to open opportunities for more players, coaches, and fans to learn about and appreciate wine in new and engaging ways.
“We are excited to continue evolving our partnership as the official wine of the NBA by offering more unique experiences for our customers that seamlessly bring wine and basketball together,” said Marcelo Aguero, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Jackson Family Wines, which owns Kendall-Jackson. “Marc’s long-term standing within the professional basketball community and leveraging the relationships he has formed over the years for player appearances will help amplify the experiences we plan to execute over the multiyear partnership with the league.”
As part of this partnership, Spears will co-host wine events with player appearances in wine country and at signature marquee events with the league alongside Kendall-Jackson and La Crema Winery, which is also owned by Jackson Family Wines and serves as the Official Wine Partner of the WNBA. In the coming weeks heading into NBA Finals, Spears will co-host a private wine dinner with former Boston Celtics center and ESPN Analyst Kendrick Perkins, and again in Dallas alongside Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks’ all-time leading scorer who now serves a special advisor for the franchise. Each dinner will feature the Jackson Family’s portfolio of wines from the 2008 and 2011 vintages respectively, to pay homage to the Celtics’ and Mavericks’ previous championship seasons.
Spears, a Bay Area native, has been covering the NBA since 1999 and has been a professional sportswriter since 1995. Spears was named to the Class of 2023 in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after winning the Curt Gowdy Award for Print Journalism. Spears corresponds on league and team news, regularly appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today and SportsCenter, in addition to serving as a sports analyst on San Francisco’s KNBR Radio. Spears is also an enthusiastic wine afficionado, having grown up in the Bay Area, close to Sonoma and Napa wine countries. He regularly visits wineries in Sonoma, Napa, Paso Robles and Oregon. He served as co-host and executive producer of the 2023 Hulu television show The Conversations Project, an unscripted dinner party series featuring Black figures in sports and entertainment and showcased Black-owned wineries each episode. Through his work, Spears has borne witness to the NBA community’s growing interest in wine.
“I have been covering the NBA for 25 seasons and have been fascinated by the evolution and integration of wine within the league over the last 10 years,” Spears commented. “Twenty years ago, these players weren’t drinking wine as openly as they are now. Today, Stephen Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, CJ McCollum, Kevin Love, James Harden, Channing Frye and Josh Hart are current and former NBA players who have their own wine. NBA players are also competitive and through wine they have found a way to continue that competitive spirit by seeing who can bring the most extraordinary bottle to a dinner party.”
Learn more about Kendall-Jackson at www.kj.com/NBA and follow Kendall-Jackson on all social platforms with handle @KJWines and Marc J. Spears with handle @MarcJSpears.
About Kendall-Jackson
Kendall-Jackson is a family-owned and operated winery leading the super-premium wine market through ingenuity, investment in preeminent vineyards and relentless commitment to fine wine quality. Since planting its first vines in 1974 by founder Jess Jackson, Kendall-Jackson has built an inimitable reputation as one of the most trusted, iconic brands in the wine industry. Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens is Sonoma County’s premier wine and culinary destination. Home to critically acclaimed wines, including America’s #1 selling Chardonnay, Vintner’s Reserve, the estate boasts a stunning four-acre culinary garden filled with a bountiful array of local and rare produce, offering visitors a picturesque setting to every wine experience. The brand’s success has been firmly rooted in a strident commitment to an outstanding pedigree of vineyards. As a leader in sustainable vineyard and winery practices, including water and energy conservation, 100 percent of Kendall-Jackson’s vineyards are third party certified by CCSW (Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing).
