By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
Panini America has again demonstrated its commitment to young athletes, renewing its title sponsorship of three high school ‘Hoophall’ showcases.
Panini America and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame have entered into a multi-year agreement for Panini to serve as the title sponsor of the Hoophall Classic,Hoophall Invitational, and Hoophall West high school tournaments.
The agreement is notable not just for the support it gives to these events, but because of Panini’s ongoing strategy of supporting young athletes as a core part of its business.
For example, Panini America made a startling move just last week, announcing a multi-year partnership with the 7-on-7 football program South Florida Express.
The deal means Panini America will be putting out trading cards featuring youth athletes who are pre-college level, and may be among the youngest athletes ever featured on collectibles. However, the South Florida Express is a groundbreaking organization that has helped many young athletes get into college sports, and several of them have gone on to careers in the NFL.
Athletes Getting Younger and Younger on Panini Trading Cards
The South Florida Express has captured four national championships, and now serves as a training ground for numerous NFL and college football players. Many of those players are now featured on Panini trading cards.
Similarly, Hoophall Classic has produced 12 of the last 15 No. 1 NCAA overall picks for college basketball, including 11 straight from 2011-21.
Since 2004, 120-plus Hoophall Classic participants have gone on to play in the NBA, including Kevin Durant (2006), James Harden (2007), Kyrie Irving (2010), Anthony Davis (2011), Karl-Anthony Towns (2014), Jaylen Brown (2015), Jamal Murray (2015), Bam Adebayo (2016), Jayson Tatum (2016), Zion Williamson (2018), Cade Cunningham (2020), Jared McCain (2023), and Cooper Flagg (2024).
“Expanding our partnership of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to become the title sponsor of the Panini Hoophall Classic, Panini Hoophall Invitational, and Panini Hoophall West is a natural extension of our relationship and the ever evolving NIL space,” noted Jason Howarth, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Athlete Relations for Panini America. “We look forward to helping to grow these already excellent events.”
Entering its 24th year, the Panini Hoophall Classic will take place January 15 through19, 2026, at Springfield College’s Blake Arena in Springfield, Massachusetts. It will feature more than 50 of the nation’s top boys and girls teams from across the country competing over five days.
The 2026 Panini Hoophall Invitational is scheduled for January 17 and 18 across seven local Springfield high schools and colleges and will feature 76 teams participating. The 2026 Panini Hoophall West is scheduled for January 1-3, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona, and includes more than 20 participating teams.
Panini, a long-time partner of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, will have full integration across the Panini Hoophall Classic, Panini Hoophall Invitational, and Panini Hoophall West, including on court and as part of the in-game broadcast. Panini will also create and implement activations on multiple levels, as well as content development.
“We are proud to expand our long-standing partnership with Panini as the title sponsor of Hoophall Classic, West, and Invitational,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “Panini’s continued commitment to high school athletes and the growth of the game makes them an ideal partner as we work together to celebrate basketball’s history and showcase its future stars.”
All games from the Panini Hoophall Classic, Panini Hoophall Invitational and Panini Hoophall West will be televised or distributed digitally across multiple platforms. The full broadcast schedule of games will be announced at a later date.