After years of putting its NBA House in coveted international markets during the playoffs, the league is turning each of those houses into a home.
The NBA held its first NBA House sports marketing initiative in London for the 2012 Olympics and has taken the party around the globe in years since. For this year’s NBA Finals, the league will be hosting sprawling activations in Calgary, Mexico City, Mumbai, and São Paulo, featuring game viewing parties, mascots, dance teams, live music, meet-and-greets with former NBA players, photos with the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the league’s champion, skills challenges, and stores stocked with league merchandise.
With subscriptions and total watch hours on NBA League Pass globally increasing 4% and 6% respectively, compared to last season, and global partnerships revenue increasing for the fifth-straight season, the NBA is focused on markets where its growth has been particularly promising.
“For us, 99% of our fans will not have an opportunity to see an NBA game in an NBA arena in North America, so one of the things that we’re very focused on is: ‘How do we bring authentic NBA experiences to life to our fans around the world?’” said Kelly Flatow, the NBA’s evp of global events. “There’s certainly an opportunity to bounce a ball and shoot some hoops, but also to be able to broaden that, tap into, and bring to our fans what they love about the brand, and that’s about fashion, music, technology, and lifestyle.”
Back in December 2023, YouGov released a survey attempting to determine the global footprint of sports leagues from the United States. In the U.S., the National Basketball Association had 25% of those surveyed say that the league was among their top interests or that they were somewhat interested in it. That share rose to 27% in Canada, 30% in Mexico, 30% in India, and 31% in Brazil.
Canada already has a Hall of Fame NBA player in Steve Nash and an NBA title from the 2018 Toronto Raptors, but it’s also produced the most non-U.S. players in the league for 11 straight years. This year, 21 Canadians opened the season on NBA rosters—including the Oklahoma City Thunder star and the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
