Hennessy, the world’s best-selling cognac and NBA, recently hosted a NBA Crossover event in Lagos, this is a platform that showcases the convergence of the NBA and popular culture through art, fashion, music, and technology. A major highlight was Africa’s first floating basketball court. JEAN BAPTISTE DESCOURS, Maison Hennessy, Global Project Manager for the Hennessy x NBA partnership was in Nigeria for the event and share insight on Hennessy’s partnership with the NBA and its significance for the brand. He also talked about how the partnership will be expressed locally in Nigeria. Excerpts:
Hennessy is the NBA’s first-ever global Spirits partner. Why did Hennessy choose to partner with the NBA?
Hennessy is bigger than cognac, it is bigger than just the liquid in the bottle. It is a cultural force, and the NBA is the same. Hennessy and the NBA share a lot of values- We are innovative, we respect the heritage of the field, and the NBA is bigger than basketball. So, it is two icons, two cultural forces working together, with the same objectives to move local cultures forward, giving them a platform to shine around the world. So, this in summary is the reason why the partnership between Hennessy and the NBA is so perfect.
What goals do you hope to realise from this partnership?
Well, first of all, I think we need to focus on giving a voice to local cultures that are inspired by the NBA and Hennessy. I am talking about music artists, fashion designers, and movies in all these expressions; Hennessy’s strength is in giving these cultural expressions a platform to shine. This is what we are trying to achieve and we are really happy to give a new stage to local artists and local communities to express themselves and shine.
How is Hennessy giving expression to this partnership in different markets?
It is not a single story; it is multiple stories because, in every market, it is a different story. This is what we are trying to do. We are building incredible courts, what we call “Courts beyond Limits”. We have built one in Shanghai on top of a building. We have done one in Sydney, Australia located in a swimming pool in Bondi Beach. So, in Lagos, we kicked off the first-ever floating court in Africa. This is part of our efforts to bring the partnership to life around the world. In addition to this, Hennessy is running campaigns with NBA players and legends. So, we are very much involved in a lot of projects around the world. So, geographically, we are a bit everywhere, and we are happy about it and excited about the impact.
Can you tell us about the Hennessy x NBA Crossover event happening in Nigeria? What motivated both parties to put the event together?
The Hennessy x NBA Crossover event for us is really about honouring the big market. As you are aware, Hennessy has been in Nigeria for more than 100 years and NBA Africa is one of our closest partners. So, when the idea of where to go next to create impact came up, of course, Nigeria was chosen because the country is an important market for Hennessy and for the NBA. So, that is why we came to Lagos. So far, what we achieved is something amazing because can you imagine just playing basketball on the river on a floating court? That is incredible! We are happy to bring the Hennessy x NBA Crossover experience to Nigeria alongside other markets in the world.
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What conversations do you hope this Hennessy x NBA crossover event will inspire within the Nigerian sports ecosystem?
The first question I answered about culture is key because the floating court is not just a court; it is way more than this. It is a stage for cultural talents from Nigeria to express themselves. The most important thing is not only about building the court, but also creating a collaborative platform that gives expression to Nigerian music, fashion, and urban culture in general. In addition, NBA Africa and Hennessy also donated a basketball court to the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency at Ikorodu Recreational Park as part of their and Lagos State’s commitment to providing people in the state with access to sport.
Are there any programmes you plan to put in place to create more opportunities for the development of basketball talent in Africa through this partnership?
We will be organizing a series of events which we will use as platforms to develop local talent. The Nigerian market is bursting with energy and creative ideas. Hennessy has a long history of supporting local talents especially in the music industry. The partnership with the NBA is adding another layer, we are here with the NBA to bring something new to it, to innovate and explore new ways of engagement to create impact in urban spaces. We will continue to build on our existing engagement frameworks, but what is important is that we continually seek to create platforms that support Nigerian talents.
Is there any plan to expand Hennessy’s engagement with Nigerian fans, partners and basketball stakeholders in the months and years to come?
We are doing a lot of things. First of all, we have developed a limited edition jersey for every season, we developed new packaging for our bottles, and we are building courts around the world; in London, in Sydney, the list goes on, it’s part of a huge global campaign.We are working on the experience that we offer to clients, customers all over the world, so they can immediately respond to it in their own way. That is really important because the NBA is a global icon, but it is experienced differently in Nigeria, France, or Australia. So, also Hennessy. Hennessy is experienced differently in every country, every region. So, what we are trying to do is to create an authentic connection with Hennessy and the NBA fans.
We do not want to push our language. We want to speak their language, their own local language, understand how they consume the NBA and Hennessy. It is really important that we create the space and stage for local cultures and really celebrate the local communities.
In addition, Nigeria has an amazing market for talent recruitment for basketball. Take, for instance, the Afrobasketball title in 2015 or the Nigerian men’s team that defeated Team USA in 2021. Aside from that, women’s basketball is amazing. Having players in the WNBA, or in the NBA, now, is growing. NBA Africa together with NBA academies around want to amplify their impact and presence in the region, with more efforts to provide platforms to the incredible talents in Nigeria. So, Hennessy is really proud to support all stakeholders across the board.
Hennessy’s activity in Lagos in recent weeks is only the beginning. We are hopeful that we are going to see more and more talents in the NBA out of Nigeria. Aside from the established NBA stars, there are many more Nigerians playing now in the NBA. Nigerian heritage and culture is now resonating all over the world.
Basketball, I would say, can be similar to music. Nigerian music is listened to everywhere, in Europe, or in the US, it is incredible. The proliferation of Nigerian culture is really at a very high level these days. We hope to see the same, with Nigerian talent in the NBA.
How important is access to sport in our communities, especially among the youth?
It is crucial that people, especially youths, have access to sports. In fact, the NBA is doing a great job being all over the world in order to achieve that and especially in Africa. We can say that the NBA is working hard in that direction. Hennessy has plans to build courts around the continent as well. We plan to refurbish existing courts, to give back to communities because the youth as well as the larger community need a good playground or a good environment where they can go and have access to sport.
Where is the next stop for Hennessy x NBA Crossover in Africa?
Having kicked off the first Hennessy x NBA Crossover in Africa in Lagos is really exciting. It is no surprise because Nigeria is, for now, the most ambitious and the biggest market. The next stop is definitely South Africa.
Where do you see the Hennessy and NBA Africa partnership in the next couple of years?
The partnership in the next couple of years is going to be a very long love story between Hennessy, the NBA and the African region because this is still only the beginning. Bringing probably the most famous talents in Nigeria together, in the two events held recently is a kickoff; it is just a tip of the iceberg, we have so many stories to tell and we are going to tell them.
We are partnering with NBA Africa, but also the other African basketball leagues. In the next few years, what you are going to see is more and more stories that we want to tell about the local communities, and I keep saying local communities because I think it is central to what we are doing and what we are saying.
So, not only building more courts but also more experiences for the fans and consumers. We are looking forward to coming back here in Nigeria, in South Africa and in the region as well.
What does “Never Stop, Never Settle” mean to you?
Never Stop. Never Settle is all about the mindset. It speaks about being happy with where you are as it is important to enjoy life to its fullest. However, it is also important as well to strive for even better things. I think never stop; never settle, first of all, it is about energy. It is really exhilarating, like, we should not comply and just be there, know that yes, you made it, but you can always push the limits.
This same spirit is the same with the NBA because we do not speak about what happens on the court, so we push the lines; we go beyond the court lines. Actually, what happens on the court has an influence on what happens outside the court and this is really important.
Hennessy has been in Nigeria for over 100 years. Looking back, what are some of the success stories?
There are so many success stories that the brand Hennessy has recorded in its over 100 years in Nigeria, but the one that comes top on my mind is Hennessy Artistry. This platform has successfully existed for over a decade.
Through Hennessy Artistry, the brand has really impacted the Nigerian music industry and urban culture. It is really a success story for the local music industry. This is incredible because it is about giving a platform and speaks to the essence of who we are as a brand. At Hennessy we say, we are not culture creators, we are not music artists, and we are not painters, designers, but Cognac makers. So, what we want to do is to give a voice to people and give them a platform, so that they can go beyond geographical limitations. We will try to achieve the same level of execution because Hennessy Artistry is a case study for countries in the region, but also for countries around the world, how Nigerian artists genuinely embrace it as a curator of Nigerian urban culture. So, I would say that is the biggest success story. Having such success recorded with music, we will definitely try to do the same with the NBA platform, bringing to life sport as a cultural force. We are aware that access to sport is critical in the development of community, youth and older people. Access to sport is important. We are going to support the development of sports and the local culture.
Aside from the NBA, are there other collaborations Hennessy plans to have with the private sector and artists across Nigeria?
For now, partnership with the NBA is the latest. It’s just been a year since our announcement as the global spirit of the NBA. It is still very young and fresh. We need to build this a bit more. There is nothing in the pipeline for now. So far, only improving what we have because with the NBA, I said it is a love story because we are matching two icons that share so many values.
For now, we just need to make sure that everybody knows about it, reads about it, hears about it, and maybe see people drink some Hennessy. But we need to build that a bit more.
Are there plans to make the Hennessy x NBA Crossover an annual event?
Yes, we are here for the long term. So, it is not a one-off. We kicked off early February in Nigeria, and we are going to South Africa. But after that, of course, we are going back to Nigeria. We want to be here for the long term, we plan to have more activities and experiences; facilitate the coming together of people to celebrate culture. We are definitely here for the long term.
