Charlotte Hornets launch jersey with MrBeast patch, marking first influencer-focused partnership

YouTube superstar MrBeast has partnered with the Charlotte Hornets to launch a jersey patch of MrBeast’s snack brand on the Hornets’ jerseys. The new jersey marks the first partnership between an influencer and an NBA franchise

“The Charlotte Hornets are launching a jersey patch partnership with YouTube and social media sensation Mr. Beast, a first between an influencer and an NBA franchise,” NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted on Monday. The post featured a photo of Hornets’ point guard LaMelo Ball in his jersey featuring the new patch.

MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, will advertise his snack brand Feastables though the jersey patch, which features the brand’s logo. It will appear on all Hornets’ jerseys and as a media background during press conferences, the NBA team confirmed on Monday, per ESPN.

Donaldson is native of North Carolina, where the Hornets team is located. He is widely considered to be the most popular YouTuber in the world with more than 350 million combined followers and boasts an estimated net worth of $500 million, which he amassed running several YouTube channels as well as his snack brand, Feastables.

“We are thrilled to welcome Feastables and North Carolina native MrBeast into our Hornets family,” Hornets COO and president Fred Whitefield said in a statement, per USA Today. “We are excited to have this opportunity to introduce MrBeast’s fans to the Hornets and the Feastables brand to NBA fans around the world through our jersey patch. We are confident this innovative, new partnership will be significantly beneficial for everyone involved.”

According the Hornets’ press release, “The Feastables logo will appear on all Hornets uniforms, as well as the uniforms of the Greensboro Swarm and both the virtual and physical uniforms of Hornets Venom GT, the organization’s NBA G League and NBA 2K League affiliates,” as reported by USA Today.

A promotional clip posted on the Charlotte Hornets’ official social media page features a first look at the updated uniforms with the blue Feastables patch. Point guard LeMelo Ball is also seen snacking on a Feastables chocolate bar in the clip.

“Feastables is the official sponsor of the @hornets,” MrBeast wrote in a tweet posted on Monday. “I love Basketball so it only makes sense for Feastables’s first sponsorship to be with my home team.”

What is MrBeast’s brand Feastables?

Donaldson launched his snack brand, Feastables, in January 2020. The brand sells chocolate bars, cookies and other sweet snacks made from organic ingredients with no artificial flavors, according to the Feastables’ site.

The Feastables brand made more than $10 million in its first few months, Axios reported.