Sprite brings Nikola Jokić and Anthony Edwards into global basketball campaign
Sprite teams with Nikola Jokić and Anthony Edwards for a global basketball campaign with collectible cans and fan experiences.
Basketball culture does not stop at the final buzzer. It travels through playgrounds, music, fashion, social clips and the conversations fans have about their favorite players. Sprite is leaning into that wider world with two NBA stars whose personalities and playing styles are strikingly different.
Nikola Jokić and Anthony Edwards are fronting Sprite's new global platform, Never Stop Refreshing the Game. The campaign connects the drink brand's long basketball history with limited-edition packaging, digital interactions and fan experiences planned across markets into 2027.
Table of contents
Jump to each section:
- What Sprite is launching with Jokić and Edwards
- Why the two NBA stars make an interesting pairing
- How Sprite is taking basketball culture beyond the court
- What marketers can learn from Sprite's basketball play
What Sprite is launching with Jokić and Edwards
Sprite unveiled Never Stop Refreshing the Game on October 12, 2026, naming Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić alongside Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards. The Coca-Cola Company described the new platform as a global effort to celebrate how basketball culture keeps evolving.
The campaign follows Sprite's return as the NBA's Official Global Soft Drink earlier in 2026. Its announced plans include limited-edition NBA-themed cans and QR-enabled digital interactions, alongside experiences intended to connect fans more closely with the sport.
The brand is presenting the campaign as more than a single commercial. Packaging, athlete storytelling and on-the-ground activity give fans different ways to encounter the same basketball idea. The announced program stretches into 2027, though its individual market schedules and results will need to be assessed as they unfold.
Why the two NBA stars make an interesting pairing
Jokić and Edwards bring different public basketball identities to the partnership. Jokić is a three-time NBA MVP and NBA champion known for his playmaking and court vision. Edwards is an Olympic gold medalist whose energetic style has made him a prominent figure among younger NBA fans.
Their contrast gives Sprite two ways to talk about basketball without choosing only one version of the sport's appeal. One player is often celebrated for reading the game with remarkable precision; the other for explosive athleticism and confidence. Those differences can broaden the campaign's creative range, although Sprite has not disclosed audience segmentation data proving that effect.
The pairing also builds on Sprite's decades-long relationship with basketball. The Coca-Cola Company traces its NBA association to 1986. In that context, a new athlete roster is an extension of an established cultural territory rather than an abrupt attempt to borrow the sport's popularity.
How Sprite is taking basketball culture beyond the court
A sports partnership becomes more tangible when fans can interact with it outside broadcasts. Sprite's limited-edition cans and QR codes are designed to create that connection at the point where people buy or consume the drink. The wider program also points toward entertainment and fan experiences, not just paid media placements.
The Coca-Cola Company's announcement explicitly places basketball alongside fashion, music and community culture. That framing recognizes that people follow the sport through more than game results. A memorable player moment might become a clip, a style reference or a conversation long after the match ends.
Still, a campaign plan is not a performance report. No verified figures for campaign-driven sales, redemption rates or brand lift were disclosed in the materials reviewed. Those outcomes should not be inferred from the athletes' popularity or the NBA's global reach.
What marketers can learn from Sprite's basketball play
The strongest part of Sprite's approach is continuity. The brand already has a long association with basketball, so the new campaign can develop an existing relationship with fans instead of asking audiences to accept an unfamiliar positioning overnight.
Choose talent with distinct strengths. Jokić and Edwards create different entry points into the same sport, giving creative teams room for varied stories.
Connect media to something people can do. Packaging and QR experiences offer participation beyond watching an ad.
Think beyond game highlights. Basketball's influence across style, music and community offers relevant cultural contexts, provided each activation remains authentic to the audience.
Wait for results before claiming success. The launch explains the brand's ambitions, but it does not establish campaign impact.
Sprite is betting that basketball's cultural reach can make the brand relevant across more moments of a fan's life. The new platform supplies the creative direction; its commercial performance remains to be demonstrated.
