MUMBAI: The History Channel has signed a partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) that the network will air two documentaries and get significant on-air exposure on NBA TV.
With this tie-up, NBA becomes the first professional sports league to team-up with The History Channel to celebrate the league's past.
The channel today said it has signed a multiyear deal to sponsor an NBA Hardwood Classics programme that will include two NBA-produced, one-hour documentaries to air on The History Channel. 
The channel will also get a prominent presence in NBA's TV programming, NBA Hardwood Classics merchandise, NBA.com's history section and select Hardwood Classics Nights games - a series of retro games that celebrate their past players, teams and prominent anniversaries. 
This was announced at the NBA Store in New York City by NBA commissioner David Stern and The History Channel executive vice president and general manager Dan Davids, and was also confirmed in the association's website today. NBA legends Bill Walton and George Gervin were also on hand for the announcement.
The association's website, NBA.com quotes its commissioner Stern as saying, "As the premier distributor of insightful historical programming, The History Channel will have the opportunity to draw on the NBA's role in societal issues as racial integration, AIDS and HIV education, as well as the chronicling of the rich history of our sport."
The deal includes a prominent presence on NBA.com with preview pages of Hardwood Classics Nights games and a new 'Historic Event' feature page which will appear following record-breaking performances this season, media reports said. History Channel will also have branding on hangtags of Hardwood Classics Nights jerseys sold at retail.