76ers land Bloom Energy jersey patch worth more than $30 million a year

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers have a new name on the front of their uniforms. Bloom Energy, the fuel-cell power company with its second-largest manufacturing hub a few miles away in Newark, Delaware, signed a multi-year deal on Sept. 28 to become the team’s Official Jersey Patch Partner. The patch replaces Crypto.com and was unveiled with the new uniforms at 76ers Media Day in Camden, New Jersey.

The team called it one of the most comprehensive patch partnerships in the NBA, and the money backs that up. CNBC’s reporting put the annual value at more than $30 million, citing a person familiar with the talks who described it as a “top two” jersey-patch deal in the league. Neither the team nor Bloom released a figure or the length of the agreement.

More than a logo on the shoulder

The partnership comes with a seven-figure community investment aimed at the Greater Philadelphia region and Delaware. Bloom will back the Jr. 76ers Summer Hoops Tour, fund a court refurbishment in the region and join the club for staff days of service. The company also becomes the marquee jersey sponsor for the Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers’ G League affiliate, which has played in Delaware since 2013.

Bloom says it employs nearly 1,200 people in Delaware and has been a major regional employer for close to 15 years. Its fuel cells provide on-site power for data centers, hospitals, manufacturers, retailers and college campuses, with more than 1,000 deployments across the United States. Elevate, the sports and entertainment agency, brokered the relationship.

What both sides said

HBSE and 76ers CEO Tad Brown framed the deal around community: “At the core, our brands are about making communities stronger,” he said, calling Bloom “a powerhouse in the region” and promising a partnership built on community resilience.

Bloom founder and CEO KR Sridhar pointed to the company’s Delaware workforce. “From the employees who manufacture Bloom’s fuel cells in Delaware to the fans who fill arenas across the region, our connection to the Greater Philadelphia area runs deep,” he said. Speaking with CNBC, Sridhar was blunter about the timing, calling the offseason in which Philadelphia built around Jaylen Brown and then added LeBron James “a cherry on the top.”

Why the price jumped

Patch deals are priced on exposure, and the 76ers have rarely had more of it. James signed with Philadelphia this summer after leaving the Lakers, and the club says a record 34 of its games will be nationally televised in 2026-27, starting with the Oct. 20 opener against the reigning champion Knicks. Brown told CNBC the team has seen “a tremendous surge” in people asking about season tickets.

The secondary market tells the same story. StubHub spokeswoman Jill Gonzalez said Sixers tickets for 2026-27 are selling at roughly seven times last year’s pace, and TickPick data cited by CNBC shows the average home-game ticket at $282, up from $107 in the same window a year ago. Managing partner Josh Harris summed up the effect: when a player like James picks a franchise, sponsors start calling.

For Bloom, the bet is national reach for a business-to-business brand that most fans have never had a reason to notice. For the 76ers, it locks in one of the league’s richest patch rates while interest in the team is at its peak, with the community spending giving the deal a local footprint beyond the uniform.