When you are ready to celebrate the lockout starting, pop open a bottle of the new official NBA champagne!
In what may be the worst timing ever for a league generally pretty good at that with marketing, the NBA has a new league-sanctioned champagne about to come out. Seriously. NBA champagne. Because there is a big market for that….
The Las Vegas Sun (in a story written by Robin Leach — yes, that Robin Leach) talked about it first because it was being poured at Shaquille O’Neal’s retirement party at the Palms hotel in that city (via the Express-News Spurs blog).Shaq signed basketballs for Palms guests and then headed to Moon for his retirement party at a VIP table stocked with the new NBA-sanctioned Les Jeux (The Game) French champagne, and I was even presented with a souvenir bottle by the owners who helped sponsor Shaq’s party. Shaq was presented with a magnum!
I have asked via Twitter if the NBA is the first pro league to sanction its own alcohol drink. This one has NBA legend Jerry West on the label along with the NBA insignia. The owners told me that they will be launching it here in Las Vegas with several NBA star player appearances.
So what if the league is about to lockout in the middle of a recession and have billionaires and millionaires fighting over how to divide up the money the fans pour into the league — let them drink champagne!
I don’t drink a lot of champagne, but when I do I wonder if there is a way I could have it be an official drink of the NBA. Now we can all have that. I can’t wait to open my first bottle with a saber.
