FanDuel Signs Multi-Year Deal with NBA Champion Kenny Smith

FanDuel has inked a long-term partnership with Kenny “The Jet” Smith which will see the NBA champion produce exclusive sports betting content.

Unique, Exclusive Content

Kenny “The Jet” Smith, a two-time NBA champion and Inside the NBA analyst, has confirmed a fresh multi-year collaboration with sports betting titan FanDuel Group. Smith will create unique content for FanDuel’s social media platforms in addition to featuring in the operator’s ads and TNT promotions and free-to-play games. Collaborating with FanDuel has been a great addition to Inside the NBA, Smith declared.

Furthermore, FanDuel will launch a new free-to-play title of between eight and twelve Over/Under type questions, in exclusivity on Turner Sports. For the rest of the NBA season, fans will be able to contend with Smith for Over/Under dominance each night. Inside the NBA and NBA on TNT streams will feature FanDuel Over/Under, which will allow fans to bid for a piece of a $5,000 jackpot pool.

This new game, FanDuel Group’s chief marketing officer Mike Raffensperger said, is significant as a way to highlight FanDuel’s free-to-play offerings, which are available in all 50 states (unlike some of their gaming offerings) and can be used as a “second screen experience” for anyone viewing game broadcasts.

Building a Deeper Relationship

Smith will join NBA legend and colleague Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley, as well as Pat McAfee and JJ Zachariason, as part of the FanDuel team.

FanDuel Group became the official sportsbook provider for NBA content on Turner Sports, including Bleacher Report content implementations, in July 2020. Smith and Barkley have been teaching fans on sports wagering through FanDuel Sportsbook since the NBA playoffs of 2020.

Raffensperger touched on FanDuel’s broader approach to signing individual media personalities as well as companies. His combination of intelligence and wit makes Smith the ideal choice for an individual deal for FanDuel, as Raffensperger put it. There’ll be other ways for the operator to engage him more profoundly, the CMO said, including appointing Smith as a talent to voice some of FanDuel’s game-related promotions.

And, since Smith is a well-known and well-liked celebrity, Raffensperger noted, this step with him made sense as a way to form a deeper relationship than just recruiting someone for an advertisement.