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League approves on-court ads for area in front of team benches

Utah Jazz v Los Angeles Lakers

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 13: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on from the bench before being announced in the starting lineup against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center on October 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)

Juan Ocampo

While a few owners are adamantly for it, the idea of ads on an NBA uniform — even smaller ones — has not been able to gain traction with a majority of them (it’s not happening next season, at least).

But don’t think that means owners aren’t looking for more ways to get advertising in your face.

Like on the court near the benches and on top of the backboards, reports the Sports Business Journal.

League officials have approved teams selling on-court advertising for the high-profile space in front of team benches as well as the camera-visible areas on top of the backboards.

A league source said no specific valuation has been assigned to the new sales areas, but multiyear, multimillion-dollar deals are expected, with teams signing package deals that would provide an advertiser with visibility in both places. One team executive said the deals could range anywhere from mid-six figures to around $2 million annually, acknowledging that the value of the signage will vary widely by market.

These were areas you usually saw the team logo (the top of the backboard often had the team’s Web address). You can also see the added NBA Finals logo during Game 3 Tuesday night in San Antonio.

There is a one-year review on this — teams can sign multi-year deals but the entire process will be reviewed after next season, SBJ reports.

You can expect this in virtually ever arena next years — owners are looking for new ways to squeeze out more revenue from sponsors.