Emirates Brings the NBA Experience Onboard with Special Menus and Basketball-Themed Offerings to Celebrate the 2026/2027 NBA Season
New York, US – 06 November 2026: Emirates, the Official Global Airline Partner of the NBA, is bringing the excitement of basketball to the skies with a special NBA-themed inflight experience, available until 23 November 2026. Customers travelling on select Emirates flights to the U.S. and Canada can enjoy basketball-inspired menus, themed cabin touches and a curated selection of sports entertainment, celebrating the season tip off and the airline’s global partnership with the NBA.
Customers travelling across all cabins will discover special NBA-themed touches designed to bring the spirit of the game onboard. Premium Economy and Economy Class customers will find co-branded cabin elements, including NBA-themed headrests and custom beverage coasters, adding a courtside-inspired touch to the inflight experience.
The special inflight offering features a range of basketball-inspired dishes and refreshments. First Class customers can enjoy delectable themed desserts like chocolate and hazelnut cookies, topped with caramel sauce and served with ice cream, while travellers in Business Class and Premium Economy will savour chocolate cheesecake with sour cherry compote. Customers seated in Economy Class will finish their meals with salted caramel milk cake.
Emirates is bringing fans together over their shared passion for basketball with special court-side fare and snacks, including Margherita pizza and beef hotdogs delivered direct to passengers travelling in Premium Economy and Economy Class. First Class and Business Class customers flying on Emirates’ iconic A380 aircraft can get into the NBA spirit at the Onboard Lounge, indulging in crispy chicken tenders with buffalo sauce, macaroni and cheese and a selection of mini bistro bites on select flights from Dubai. On flights from US and Canadian points to Dubai, the celebrations continue at the A380 Onboard Lounge, with a menu featuring lemon drizzle bundt cake and toffee apple and pecan crisp bundt cake.
Customers visiting Emirates’ lounges in Dubai can also enjoy a selection of NBA-inspired food and beverages. The First Class Lounge will feature the NBA Signature Wagyu Burger, served with Rocca leaves, pear and bacon jam, fries and salad. Guests can also enjoy themed beverages, including the Pick and Roll cocktail and Step Back Cooler mocktail, alongside a selection of desserts such as passion fruit tart, a milk chocolate and coconut sphere, and pistachio éclair.
In the Business Class Lounge in Dubai, customers can enjoy a live nachos station, a corn dog station, themed cocktails and mocktails, and a selection of desserts. Customers visiting Emirates lounges in Boston, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco can also enjoy specially curated menus inspired by the local basketball teams, with dishes celebrating the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
Onboard, basketball fans can also enjoy a curated selection of sports entertainment through Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system, ice. The TV sports category features more than 30 titles, including Running Point and Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics. The movie sports category features more than 60 films and documentaries, including Jerry West: The Logo, Warrior Strong and Finding Tony. NBA-themed welcome screens, animations and other inflight entertainment touchpoints will further bring the partnership to life.
The limited-time NBA experience reflects Emirates’ commitment to delivering premium experiences for customers both in the air and on the ground. Now in its second year of activation since the partnership launched in 2024, the collaboration reinforces Emirates’ connection with basketball fans around the world, bringing the excitement of the game to customers as they travel.
About Emirates
The Emirates story started in 1985 when we launched operations with just two aircraft. Today, we fly the world’s biggest fleets of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s, offering our customers the comforts of the latest and most efficient wide-body aircraft in the skies.
We inspire travellers around the world with our growing network of worldwide destinations, industry-leading inflight entertainment, regionally inspired cuisine, and world-class service.