SponsorUnited CEO Bob Lynch shares insights on inaugural WNBA Partnerships Report

The GIST: Yesterday, sponsorship insights platform SponsorUnited released its inaugural WNBA Partnerships Report, covering 12 WNBA teams over 2024 season and the 2025 season so far. The report — which Lynch says has been three years in the making — notes a 17% surge in deals during the 2025 WNBA season alone.

• We spoke with SponsorUnited CEO Bob Lynch this week about why brands are joining the WNBA sponsorship roster and where there’s still room to grow. So much potential.

💸 Team sponsorship revenue reached a record $76M: This revenue boost is thanks to a 52% increase in average number of deals per team since 2022, when each WNBA team had around 29 deals. Now, each squad is averaging 44 deals worth $143K apiece, with the league engaging over 450 brands for 531 sponsorship agreements.

💼 Finance, healthcare, and insurance dominate spend amid newcomers: These three industries led all categories in sponsorship spend, with the top 10 industries generating over two-thirds ($50M) of WNBA team sponsorship revenue last year. Ally — which inked a Las Vegas Aces deal before signing with the league — spent big, as did Partake Foods and Bumble.

• Lynch highlighted increased spend from the betting sector, including the Phoenix Mercury’s Bally Bet deal and DraftKings’ entry into the space. He also expects technology and hospitality to become more involved in the coming years thanks to WNBA fans who are tech-savvy and willing to travel to marquee events.

📱 Angel Reese and Breanna Stewart are tied for most athlete endorsements: These two stars each had 22 deals, followed by Cameron Brink (20), Kamilla Cardoso (20), and rookie Paige Bueckers (19). Reese and Bueckers have managed to win over brands thanks to their powerful social media following, with Reese earning 4.4M branded engagements and Bueckers earning 4.9M.

• This generation of ballers is why the WNBA has a unique marketing advantage over the NBA, where most of the league’s most-followed athletes are nearing retirement. By contrast, young W stars are fluent in social media engagement and branding due to their NIL experience, which didn’t exist for older athletes.

🔥 Indiana Fever explode with more brand deals: The Fever remained on top with 92 sponsorships, up from 85 in June and 65 last season, illustrating how Caitlin Clark’s brand is continuing to pay off. Next up are the Washington Mystics (65), the Chicago Sky (57), the NY Liberty (56), and the Phoenix Mercury (52).

• While the Mystics aren’t the most popular team or in the biggest market, Lynch explained how parent Monumental Sports & Entertainment has the sales team and infrastructure to go out and find deals, something fellow NBA–powered teams like the Fever and Golden State Valkyries have and the Dallas Wings could certainly use. Just wanna fly.