American Express takes its NBA and WNBA deal global: NBA Houses, three sold-out games abroad, USA Basketball and a jersey guarantee tied to the trade deadline

American Express is taking its NBA deal global. On Monday, Nov. 2, the NBA, the WNBA and the card company announced an expanded multiyear partnership that puts American Express in the NBA’s international fan events, adds USA Basketball as a new partner and launches a program that lets card holders link their cards to the league’s free NBA ID membership. No financial terms and no contract length were released.

American Express has been the official payments partner of the NBA and WNBA for years. What is new is the international side. The league calls this the first season of international activations across the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball under the deal, which also covers the NBA G League and NBA Take-Two Media, the league’s video game business.

The NBA, WNBA and American Express today announced the global expansion of their partnership, building on their decades-long relationship.

More: https://t.co/CI2eOpmBrY

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 2, 2026

What American Express gets

The company becomes presenting partner of select NBA Houses, the league’s watch-party and fan-event spaces that open around big moments in cities outside the United States. It also becomes an associate partner of select NBA Global Games, including the three that are sold out this season: the Nuggets and Pacers in Mexico City on Saturday, Nov. 7, and the Spurs and Pelicans in Paris on Thursday, Jan. 14 and in Manchester on Sunday, Jan. 17.

For viewers in Egypt, the Mexico City game tips off at 4 p.m. local time, which is midnight Cairo time on Sunday. The Paris game is at 9 p.m. Cairo time and the Manchester game at 5:30 p.m. Cairo time; our guide to the Paris and Manchester games has the details.

American Express stays as the entitlement partner of NBA Tip-Off, the league’s season-opening week, and keeps its existing deals with the Nets, Bulls, Jazz and the WNBA’s New York Liberty. Elizabeth Rutledge, the company’s chief marketing officer, said: “Sports have a unique power to bring people together, and basketball’s international appeal is no exception.”

A new USA Basketball deal and more WNBA access

American Express is also starting a partnership with USA Basketball in the United States and abroad. It becomes an associate partner of the USA Basketball Showcase, the exhibition series held before major international tournaments, and of the 3×3 national teams. Card holders get access to presale tickets and a premium events program at the Showcase games.

On the WNBA side, the company is deepening its presence and keeps its ticket access to league events, including the WNBA All-Star Game.

The card holder perks

The release lists a season-long set of benefits for eligible American Express card holders:

• Priority entrances at select marquee events, merchandise discounts and offers on NBAStore.com during set periods, and presale or reserved tickets for NBA All-Star, the NBA Draft, the NBA Cup championship, NBA Summer League, the WNBA All-Star Game and the USA Basketball Showcase while supplies last.
• Perks inside NBA 2K27, including merchandise drops, MyPLAYER rep boosts and theater events.
• Premium hospitality and experiences around the NBA and WNBA All-Star weekends.
• Dedicated entrances or fast lanes at select arenas, plus 10% back, up to $250 a year, on qualifying concession purchases for card holders who enroll.
• An NBA ID Connected Member Program, to launch during the season, that lets eligible card holders link their card to NBA ID to unlock offers.

The jersey guarantee, and the trade deadline

The most unusual benefit is Jersey Assurance. Any fan who buys a jersey from NBAStore.com can ask for a replacement if that player is traded or signs with another team within 90 days of the purchase. For a card holder who pays with an American Express card at NBAStore.com, at the league’s retail partners or in an NBA store, the window is 365 days. Claims must be filed within 14 days of the team’s or the league’s official announcement of the move, and terms and restrictions apply.

That matters in a season that began with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown both in 76ers jerseys. The trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 11. Counting the days, a fan who buys a jersey on Monday, Nov. 2, is 101 days away from deadline day, so the standard 90-day window would end on Sunday, Jan. 31, before the deadline arrives. In fact, the 90-day cover reaches deadline day only for jerseys bought on or after Nov. 13. The card holder’s 365-day window, by comparison, would run through the deadline and into next summer’s free agency.

The promise ties a fan product to one of the biggest risks for anyone buying a player’s jersey, and it gives American Express a reason to ask fans to use its card at the league’s own stores.

What we still don’t know

The announcement does not say what American Express is paying, how long the deal runs or how much of it is new money. It does not name which NBA Houses the company will present, or when the NBA ID program starts. Those answers will matter more than the perks list. The three global games are already sold out, and a payments company with a worldwide card base is a natural partner for them. What the NBA is getting for that access is the part that has not been made public.