Media and publishing
10 NBA partnerships leaders
These ten current NBA partnerships leaders have held vice president, associate vice president, senior director and director roles in global partnerships, media partnerships, partner management and business development at the league office. A reader can learn how partnerships leaders work at the NBA from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
01—10Brett Grossfield
LinkedInExperience: Associate Vice President, Media Partnerships & Business Development, Global Partnerships · National Basketball Association (NBA)
Associate Vice President, Media Partnerships & Business Development, Global Partnerships at the National Basketball Association since 2025. Earlier NBA roles shown are Senior Director, Media Partnerships & Business Development (2023–2025), Director, Media Partnerships (2021–2023), Senior Manager (2019–2021) and Manager, Media Partnerships (2018–2019), all in Global Partnerships.
Dave Keeley
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, Global Business Development · National Basketball Association (NBA)
Senior Director, Global Business Development at the National Basketball Association since 2026, responsible for global revenue from integrated marketing and media platforms, per the profile, and Senior Director, Business Development - Canada there since 2023. Former Director, Business Development - Canada (2019–2023) and Director, Corporate Partnerships at Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment (2016–2019).
David Brody
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Global Partner Management Leader · National Basketball Association (NBA)
Vice President, Global Partner Management Leader at the National Basketball Association since 2024. Earlier NBA roles shown are Associate Vice President (2022–2025), Senior Director, Global Marketing Partnerships (2020–2022) and Director, Global Marketing Partnerships (2017–2020). Before that, Senior Manager, Global Experiential Marketing and Sports Partnerships at American Express (2014–2017).
Ellen Hagen
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, Global Partnerships, Partnership Management · National Basketball Association (NBA)
Senior Director, Global Partnerships, Partnership Management at the National Basketball Association since 2017, after Director, Global Marketing Partnerships there (2013–2017). Earlier roles shown are Director, Consulting at Wasserman (2006–2013) and Senior Account Executive at Octagon Marketing (2003–2006). The profile lists partner management and partnership negotiation among specialties.
Jason Fesko
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, Global Partnerships, Commercial Integration & Activation · National Basketball Association (NBA)
Senior Director, Global Partnerships, Commercial Integration & Activation at the National Basketball Association since 2023. Earlier NBA roles shown are Director (2019–2023), Senior Manager (2017–2019) and Manager (2012–2017), Global Partnerships, Partner Management & Activation. Before that, Account Manager at SportsMark Management Group (2011–2012).
Kelsey Brown
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, Global Partnerships & Media · National Basketball Association (NBA)
Senior Director, Global Partnerships & Media at the National Basketball Association since 2024. Earlier NBA roles shown are Director, Global Partnerships & Media (2022–2023), Senior Manager, Global Partnerships (2020–2021), Manager, Global Partnerships (2019) and Associate Manager, Global Partnerships (2018).
Leon C.
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, Global Partnerships, AI & Cloud · National Basketball Association (NBA)
Senior Director, Global Partnerships, AI & Cloud at the National Basketball Association since 2025; the profile cites work across AI platforms, cloud ecosystems and commercial strategy. Earlier roles shown are at Unity: Global Head of Marketplace - eCommerce, Asset Store, and Partnerships (2023–2024), Senior Manager, Marketplace Digital & Sales (2021–2023) and Partner and Product Marketing Manager (2019–2020).
Melissa Wells-Greathouse
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, Partnership Strategy & Design Team Lead, Global Marketing Partnerships · National Basketball Association (NBA)
Senior Director, Partnership Strategy & Design Team Lead, Global Marketing Partnerships at the National Basketball Association since 2025. Earlier NBA roles shown are Director, Brand Solutions Lead, Global Partnerships (2022–2025) and Senior Manager (2020–2022), Manager (2019–2020) and Associate Manager (2018–2019), Partnership Development.
Simon Hochstenbach
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, Global Business Development · National Basketball Association (NBA)
Senior Director, Global Business Development at the National Basketball Association since 2025, after Director, Global Business Development there (2023–2025). Earlier roles shown are Head of Business Development Americas at AFC Ajax (2019–2023) and Business Development Manager at Dutch Lions Capital Group (2015–2018). The profile cites global sponsorship sales and media deals.
Summer Xia
LinkedInExperience: Director of Business Development, Marketing Partnerships & Media · National Basketball Association (NBA)
Director of Business Development, Marketing Partnerships & Media at the National Basketball Association since 2025, leading marketing partnerships development for the NBA, WNBA, USA Basketball and NBA G League in key categories, per the profile. Before that, Director, Global Partnerships Development at the Cleveland Cavaliers (2015–2024).
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's partnership area and region to your question, since the titles on this page cover partnership sales, partner management, media and technology partners and international markets. Check each person's dates to see how long they have held the role.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How does a professional sports league decide which brands to sign as global marketing partners?
- 02What does a technology or media company need to bring to a league-level partnership with the NBA?
- 03How are partnership sales, partner management and activation teams organized at a major sports league?
Reaching NBA partnerships leaders
How can I contact one of these NBA partnerships leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: National Basketball Association (NBA), based on profile data retrieved on October 9, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach NBA partnerships leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. It includes Instant Expert's 20% fee, so an offer that pays the person $100 costs you $125. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these NBA partnerships leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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