Raptors, Warriors named 2014-15 NBA team retailers of the year

Hooray for them.

The Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors have been named the 2014-15 NBA tram retailers of the year, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment announced in a release we missed over the weekend.

The award recognizes the teams that do the best in the areas of team merchandise sales and operations. I’d imagine the partnership with OVO had at least something to do with the Raptors getting the nod, as their apparel skews to the more unique side, league-wide. The award is based in part on breadth of offerings, as well as marketing (Drake Night!), customer service, and sales success.

From the release:

The Raptors received the honor for the first time in team history after renovating its Team Store at Air Canada Centre to include advanced retail technology and innovative fixtures and merchandising. Along with creating limited-edition merchandise to celebrate the team’s 20th anniversary, the Raptors worked with Mitchell & Ness and Global Ambassador Drake’s October’s Very Own (OVO) to introduce collections that produced record sales.

So congratulations to the Raptors, I guess. If it means anything, it’s probably that the OVO collaborations are here to stay for a while. The timing is nice for the Raptors, too, as the latest OVO collection just went on sale last week. And hey, maybe there’s a chance that getting recognized for smart and creative marketing efforts is something that would appeal to free agents, who knows?

Does any of this move the needle for you at all?