Fountain Valley-based United Sports Brands’ Shock Doctor was named the official mouth guard of the National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, NBA Development League and USA Basketball.
It plans to develop league- and team-specific mouth guard retail lines as part of the multiyear partnership and work with the leagues to promote the benefits of wearing protective gear while playing basketball at all levels.
Professional leagues don’t require basketball players to wear mouth guards, but about 50% of them do, said United Sports Chief Executive Tony Armand, adding that usage drops to 10% in youth basketball.
United Sports, majority-owned by New York-based private equity firm Bregal Partners, has products ranging from mouth guards to gloves and has an estimated $200 million in annual revenue.
NBA all-star players DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love have sponsorship deals with Shock Doctor, as does Golden State Warrior Harrison Barnes.
—Mediha DiMartino
