*By Michael Teich*
The legendary Michael Jordan and his six NBA championship rings turned the Chicago Bulls into an iconic brand in the 1990s, but dynamic content paired with exciting new talent will power the brand in a post-Jordan era, said the team's VP of business strategy and analytics Matt Kobe.
"Jordan and the 90s Bulls did a lot for our brand globally," Kobe said Friday in an interview on Cheddar. But "two years ago we won social media team of the year with the SportsBusiness Journal Awards. We won that not because of our content from the court, it was the content with our sponsors."
Warby Parker rival Zenni Optical is betting that an affiliation with the Chicago Bulls brand will help the eyewear company achieve international growth.
While Chicago is a vital demographic for Zenni, the opportunity transcends state lines, Kobe said.
"Chicago is obviously the #3 media market in the country, we have over 1 million customers in that market already," Kobe said. "But the Bulls brand is iconic and global. And it's an opportunity to introduce the Zenni offering not only domestically, but internationally."
The Chicago Bulls are the 26th NBA team to ink a deal with a sponsor for jersey patch space. The league is in its second season of a three-year jersey patch pilot program. The only remaining teams without a deal are the Indiana Pacers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Washington Wizards.
Kobe declined to comment on the financial terms of the deal.
With a $2.6 billion valuation, according to Forbes, the Chicago Bulls are the fourth most valuable franchise in the NBA. The team trails only the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Golden State Warriors.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/chicago-bulls-ink-jersey-patch-deal-with-zenni-optical).
Cheddar has been covering the biggest news of the week with some of the biggest names in the biz. In case you missed it, we've pulled together some of the highlights that will keep you informed as we get ready for the week ahead.
Michigan’s attorney general says she drank too much booze before a big football game between Michigan and Michigan State.
The NFL and lawyers for thousands of retired NFL players have reached an agreement to end race-based adjustments in dementia testing in the $1 billion settlement of concussion claims.
Elite, teen basketball players are facing more choices than ever with the NBA's developmental league and the NCAA loosening its financial compensation rules. Cheddar's Michelle Castillo reports.
Cheddar's Chloe Aiello reports from the US Open in New York City as the tournament returns to a very different landscape for players and fans.
For the first time ever, the Special Olympics and students at the Parsons School of Design partnered to create tennis and track and field outfits for athletes. The line is called 'Be Brave' and it's goal is all about celebrating athletes with disabilities with outfits that allow them to perform their best. joining us now is Stacey Hengsterman, president and CEO of the Special Olympics New York and Nigel Barker, fashion photographer and Special Olympics Champion Ambassador joined us to talk about the collection.
Car racing remains a male-dominated sport but there’s hope for change with the Formula E all-electric vehicle competition, which has already featured three female drivers during its seven seasons.
Controversy has broken out at the Paralympic Games. Malaysian shot putter Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli appeared to have won gold in the shot put in the F20 class.
Michael Chernow is known as a chef, TV host, and entrepreneur, but now he's taking a break from restaurants and stepping into the world of healthy breakfast. 'Kreatures of Habit' is a new lifestyle and wellness brand with the goal of helping people establish healthy habits. Michael was able to raise 2.2 million dollars to launch the company, which was originally set out to be a café concept, but transformed during the pandemic. Michael Chernow, celebrity chef, entrepreneur, and fitness expert joins us to talk about his new venture.
Cryptograph is auctioning NFTs of NBA legend Kobe Bryant in early career photos that had never before been made public.
