Pelicans' Anthony Davis lands new endorsement deal with H&R Block

Jeff Zillgitt | USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Pelicans forward-center Anthony Davis entered the NBA naïve of his new tax responsibility.

All of a sudden he had a complicated tax situation. He was a new millionaire, had multiple streams of income, was taxed in multiple states and cities for his work in those locations and had several deductions.

"It was a hassle dealing with taxes," Davis said. "It gets complicated."

When H&R Block looked for an NBA player to partner with, and when Davis searched for non-sports endorsement deals, they found each other.

Davis reached an endorsement deal — his first one that doesn’t involve sports — with H&R Block that will be announced Monday, and he will star in a tax-season commercial.

H&R Block chief marketing officer Kathy Collins said the company conducted extensive research for the right player. During that research, Collins learned that after Davis signed his five-year, $145 million extension with the Pelicans in July, he was in the gym the next day at 6 a.m.

"He’s got the right work ethic. He’s exactly what we look for and how we want our brand to be represented," said Collins, who also helped broker H&R Block’s partnership with the NBA. "We were looking for somebody who was a rising star and somebody we thought would have the right personality."

Davis is 22, a two-time All-Star and was a first-team All-NBA selection in 2014-15, and this season he is averaging 23 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals.

"We talked to a number of people in the industry and learned Anthony is a class act," Collins said. "Anthony’s reputation is outstanding. He’s just a really good guy. He cares about the right things. He seemed like the perfect fit for the brand."

Davis, who is selective with his partnerships and has endorsement deals with Nike and Red Bull, wanted to expand his endorsement profile beyond sports.

"You get paid for basketball, but that’s a small market," Davis said. "You always want someone you can work with and be on the same team to build your brand and build theirs as well. You want to expand your brand with great companies. It was perfect situation for me at the right time."

The commercial was shot over two days in three locations in New Orleans, and Davis sandwiched the shoot between games, practice and his Flight Academy charity events. He will star in the spot with popular H&R Block tax adviser Richard Gartland, who has appeared in some of the company’s previous commercials.

Gartland is known for his bow-tie, and Davis sports a bow-tie in the spots, which will air during non-sports programming, too.

Davis is considering making a bow-tie part of his pre- and post-game apparel. "I looked pretty good, if I say so myself," Davis said.

Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.