DenizBank becomes Euroleague Basketball global sponsor

Turkish banking giant adds basketball to sports portfolio Euroleague Basketball is proud to announce a new global sponsor, DenizBank, whose long-time support of the development and enhancement of sports in Turkey will now gain even greater impact through its relationship with the top club basketball competitions in Europe.

Turkish banking giant adds basketball to sports portfolio

Euroleague Basketball is proud to announce a new global sponsor, DenizBank, whose long-time support of the development and enhancement of sports in Turkey will now gain even greater impact through its relationship with the top club basketball competitions in Europe.

With their global sponsorship agreement, which starts with the upcoming 2019-20 season and lasts three years, with an option for three more, DenizBank has taken an important step to support basketball in Turkey and beyond. The bank will be a global partner of Euroleague Basketball and its signature competitions, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup.

To celebrate that partnership, Denizbank is launching a season-long advertising campaign that will feature EuroLeague stars Jan Vesely and Kostas Sloukas of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Krunoslav Simon and Bryant Dunston of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Ante Tomic of FC Barcelona, Sergio Rodriguez of AX Armani Exchange Milan, and Will Clyburn of CSKA.

Among DenizBank's international markets is Germany, where it boasts 16 branches in major cities, with a third of those in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, where the upcoming 2019-20 season will culminate with the 2020 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four being held in Cologne.

Hakan Ateş, DenizBank's CEO, said: "An exciting partnership has started between our bank and a championship that is followed in more than 200 countries around the world. By saying yes to sports and this global sponsorship, we have established our presence in this field on a more solid foundation. We are happy to contribute to the popularity of basketball within society in a broader sense. As DenizBank, we have been doing our best to contribute to the cultural and social development of the youth that we see as the future of our country from the first day we were founded. It is our social duty to assure that sports are embraced by a wider segment of society and to contribute to raising successful athletes of the future. I hope this partnership would bring good luck and prosperity to the parties and Turkish sports."

Mr. Ateş recalled that interest in basketball started in Turkey in the 1980s with The White Shadow series on TV, for which he worked as a voice actor. That initial interest has grown with the increasing success of Turkish teams in Euroleague Basketball competitions, contributing immensely to the development of the sports spirit and awareness. In recent years, Istanbul teams Fenerbahce Beko and Anadolu Efes have been constants in the EuroLeague Playoffs and Final Fours, while Darussafaka Tekfen and Galatasaray Doga Sigorta have won EuroCup titles, which is a great source of honor for Turkish basketball and has led to a tremendous increase in attraction to basketball among young Turkish people.

Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO, said: "It is a pleasure to welcome DenizBank as our new global partner. Denizbank has an excellent reputation among all its loyal customers as one of the biggest banks in Turkey and other countries and territories. With this new agreement, we open an outstanding promotional window for Denizbank with our accumulated audience of 3.13 billion during last season, while supporting them with their continuous development and enhancement of sports."

DenizBank sees its new collaboration with Euroleague Basketball as vital for its mission to enhance the sports culture in Turkey and to contribute to the future of Turkish sports and athletes. DenizBank has extended its support to various sports, starting with football, and on a pan-European scale has previously sponsored the CEV Volleyball Champions Leagues for both men and women.