USA Basketball and Jackson Family Wines Prove The Value of Vinous Partnership

If you're a fan of basketball in the United States, you likely have your home-team you root for and certain players you love (or love to hate)—but every four years when the Olympics come around, the USA Basketball team recruits the best of the best and goes for the Gold . There have been some unbelievably memorable teams, such as 1992's Dream Team or 2008's Redeem Team. Great players, a great narrative, and a great nickname can drive USA Basketball to distinguished heights.

In April, ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Jackson Family Wines announced their multi-year partnership with the NBA, WNBA, and USAB . Kendall-Jackson is the official wine of the NBA, La Crema is the official wine of the WNBA, and both brands are the official wine partners of USAB. Imagine my surprise when I was invited to attend the first USA Basketball Showcase game in Las Vegas, as well as their second practice session the day before. I couldn't have imagined what a special experience this would be, gaining access to the press conferences after practice as well as after the game versus Canada's National Basketball team. A few surprises and an unforgettable lunch with USAB legends rounded out 48 hours in Vegas that I'll never forget.

Pulling into UNLV's Mendenhall Center, you notice the crowd amassed outside the gym that wait patiently to catch a glimpse of their favorite players. Some want a selfie, others want an autograph. Others are just blown away to see the best of the best. We rolled into the gym to accept our Media Passes and were ushered upstairs for a balcony view of the second Team USA practice of the week. Not long after the magic is starting seem a bit more normal, an audible commotion came across the entire gym. The Vice President and her entourage showed up to wish the team good luck and catch a few photo opps. The energy was palpable, amid speculation that much of the Democratic Party and its Congressional leaders are weighing a move off of President Biden and to VP Kamala Harris for the nomination to run in November against the Republican candidate, Former President Donald J. Trump.

Having the opportunity to watch Stephen Curry continue to work after practice was over informs his brilliance, and why he continues to operate at such a high level after playing 15 full NBA seasons.

In the above video forward to the 37 second mark for a special moment. Bam Adebayo was asked if the team had coined a nickname, he said "We haven't, but everyone has been calling us 'The Avengers'." The most classic of USA Basketball teams always have snappy and memorable nicknames. Additionally we heard from Head Coach Steve Kerr, Kevin Durant, and Kawaii Leonard during the post-practice press conference.

Jackson Family Wines had the incredible opportunity to present an Olympic Legends lunch at Sadelle's Cafe at the Bellagio on Wednesday, July 10th. This lunch did not disappoint. Moderated by the ambassador of this wine partnership, Marc Spears , Marc's long career covering basketball as a journalist has afforded him countless relationships with legends of the game. He invited Spencer Haywood (1968 Olympic Gold Medalist), Tim Hardaway (2000 Olympic Gold Medalist), and Carlos Boozer (2008 Olympic Gold Medalist) to speak about their experiences playing for such special teams in USA Basketball history. Master Sommelier Nick Hetzel works with Hartford Family Winery, one of JFW's brands, and presented the handpicked wines for the lunch. A magical detail was they were able to source wines from each of the years the Legends won Gold medals for Team USA: 1968 Freemark Abbey Cabernet "Bosché", 2000 Vérité "La Muse", and 2008 Hartford Family Winery "Arrendell" Pinot Noir. Watching the Legends emotionally connect to each of the wines hand selected for them was beyond touching.

We watched the game from the Southern Glatzer Wine & Spirits Suite with the Jackson Family Wines team, and were graced with one more amazing surprise when President Obama and a group of friends entered the stadium and took their court-side seats! The entire stadium went nuts. That energy sustained the entire game, and after a come back victory for Team USA (FINAL SCORE: USA 86, Canada 72 ) we got to attend the post-game press conference which featured appearances by USA & Canada Players: Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James, Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dillon Brooks.

Standing this close to greatness has a strong effect. These are heroes, but these are mere men. They accomplish Herculean things with their teammates by their sides, or on their backs. Without fail, they shower off the adversity of the evening and show up to speak about the last 48 minutes. These humans can do super-human things. And they love wine. The growing energy of wine within the NBA has created new careers, donned superstar winemakers, and made collectible wines impossible to get your hands on. I cannot wait to see how the partnership between the NBA, WNBA, and USAB with Jackson Family Wine's brands of Kendall-Jackson & La Crema continues to evolve. They are off to a smashing start.