Alibaba named Nets tech and jersey patch partner for 60th anniversary season

BROOKLYN — Sept. 28, 2026 — Alibaba Group and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment announced a multi-year deal that makes Alibaba an Official Technology and Cloud Partner of the Brooklyn Nets and the team’s Official Jersey Patch Partner for the 2026-27 season. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The partnership pairs Alibaba’s cloud stack with the Nets’ live-game replay, in-arena entertainment and marketing. Beginning this season, Alibaba technology will power a Real-Time 360º Replay system at Barclays Center and an in-arena “Nets Figure Lab” where fans can create personalized collectible cards. The patch deal also backs the franchise’s 60th-anniversary campaign, a year-long look at players, moments and milestones across Nets history.

What both sides said

Alibaba’s Toby Xu, the group’s chief financial officer, framed the agreement as a chance to deliver technology at the speed live sports require and to test immersive fan experiences inside Barclays Center. Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment’s Sam Zussman, the company’s CEO, said the Nets are investing in how basketball is experienced at the arena and want the anniversary season to connect fans to the franchise’s identity as much as its present.

Why the tech angle matters

Jersey patches have long been a pure branding buy. This one is built as infrastructure: cloud-powered replays, AI-driven collectibles and a season-long lab for marketing applications on and beyond game night. That mirrors a wider NBA sponsorship shift toward partners that can run products inside the building, not only logos on the sleeve. Joe Tsai’s dual role as Nets governor and Alibaba Group chairman sits in the background of the relationship; the clubs and the company pitched the deal as a fan-experience investment for the anniversary year rather than a pure naming play.

Across 2026-27, both sides say they will test and scale more technology and marketing uses at Barclays Center. No length or dollar figure was released with the announcement.