ELPA and Winners Alliance form exclusive partnership to unlock commercial opportunities for players in Europe’s top basketball league
Frankfurt/Washington, D.C., May 20, 2024 – The EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA) and Winners Alliance, an organization transforming athlete rights and commercialization in global sports, today announced an exclusive commercial partnership to optimize the commercial rights of the more than 300 professional basketball players competing in EuroLeague. This partnership represents a historic first in collective commercial rights management for EuroLeague players.
Among its initial priorities, Winners Alliance will advise ELPA leadership on organizing and aggregating players’ group commercial rights. Additionally, Winners Alliance will consult with ELPA on its collective bargaining efforts and strategies to prevent unauthorized use of players’ names, images and likenesses.
“The team at Winners Alliance has unmatched experience in understanding and maximizing the value of athlete rights on a global scale,” said Boštjan Nachbar, ELPA Managing Director. “They have a proven track-record from working with the most prestigious player associations in the world. With their expertise, we are eager to explore and create new, meaningful and comprehensive opportunities for our players. This is a crucial step for ELPA in safeguarding and expanding IP rights and opportunities of our members. Our cooperation will help players become more visible and will ultimately benefit the growth and potential of EuroLeague and basketball in general.”
“This partnership between Winners Alliance and ELPA is truly groundbreaking,” said Eric Winston, President of Winners Alliance. “It comes from our shared goal of empowering athletes and looking out for their best interests by maximizing their value throughout their careers and beyond. Our collaboration with ELPA is all about tapping into opportunities available to their players and changing the game for how athlete rights are handled globally. Winners Alliance remains committed to unlocking athlete potential and pioneering innovative initiatives across global sports, and EuroLeague players in particular have tremendous potential to capitalize on their commercial rights. We are excited to explore these opportunities together with ELPA.”
Winners Alliance recently spearheaded the first group licensing program in professional tennis through its partnership with the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), led by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, and has since partnered with premium brands like Fanatics Collectibles, Hilton, Priority Pass and TUMI, directly contributing to players’ off-court financial upside and visibility. Earlier this year, Winners Alliance partnered with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), taking a previously-fragmented group rights structure and transforming it into a first-of-its-kind opportunity to work with 500+ men’s and women’s cricketers worldwide. The company also announced its alliance with legendary sprinter Michael Johnson to build a new and improved track & field model dedicated to empowering runners, protecting their rights and creating novel opportunities.
ELPA was founded in 2018 out of necessity among professional basketball players to protect and provide stability to their working conditions and benefits.
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About ELPA
EuroLeague Players’ Association represents the players’ unified voice in regards to EuroLeague Basketball and assists their members in achieving their goals, on and off the court. Through collective bargaining with EuroLeague Basketball and the EuroLeague clubs, ELPA seeks to achieve a higher level of protection of players’ individual and collective rights and to improve the working conditions, economic benefits, and job security of all its members.
In collaboration with specialists in various sports fields, ELPA provides support for players’ physical and mental well-being. ELPA also engages in organisational, financial, educational, and marketing activities which advance the economic stability and security of its members. To learn more, visit www.elpa.basketball and follow @ELPA on LinkedIn, Instagram and X.
About Winners Alliance
Winners Alliance is a global, athlete-centric commercial solution focused on optimizing, protecting, and maximizing athletes’ collective value through the creation of novel group licensing, partnership, sponsorship, content, event and investment opportunities. Launched in August 2022, Winners Alliance serves as the for-profit affiliate of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) and Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), representing the group commercial rights of hundreds of athletes worldwide and creating scalable commercial opportunities that are impactful for athletes and partners alike. To learn more, visit www.winnersalliance.com and follow @WinnersAlliance on LinkedIn, Instagram and X.
Media Contacts
For Winners Alliance: david.cooper@winnersalliance.com
For ELPA: s.sylla@elpa.basketball