Brazil has had players in the NBA since the New York Knicks took a young Nenê Hilario, later known as Nenê, in the 2002 NBA Draft, with Gui Santos coming off the bench to help the Golden State Warriors during their latest playoff push. Rio de Janeiro even hosted a preseason game between the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards in 2013.
“Since we have done games and different kinds of life experiences around the globe, we learn from each other, and we find those commonalities with the fans,” said Raul Zarraga, svp and head of operations for NBA LATAM. “The common factor is the passion for the NBA, [but] they experience it in different ways.”
Mexico City, however, is an old friend of the league, hosting its first NBA preseason game in 1992 and its first regular-season game in 1997. Overall, the city has hosted 13 regular-season NBA matchups since 2014 and is such a regular fixture that it’s already a TBA on next season’s calendar. Mumbai hosted a pair of NBA games in 2019, and the NBA has used personalities, including Kevin Durant and Ranveer Singh, and initiatives, including a Project Runway-style fashion program, to stoke the love of both the league’s game and its culture in different corners of India.
The NBA started its year with 125 international players on its roster, had players from three non-U.S. countries (Canada, Serbia, and Greece) vying for league MVP, and finished its season with players from five nations leading it per-game in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. It realizes that if it wants to connect with the fans those players are attracting, it has to find ways to celebrate the NBA’s biggest moments on their home court.
“In Mumbai, where basketball is still in early stages of fandom and growth, it’s really about expanding our fan base and bringing people that have maybe a peripheral interest in basketball, but they’re interested in music, lifestyle, culture, these other elements that the NBA brand overlaps with,” said Rajah Chaudhry, NBA head of strategy, Asia Pac, and NBA India country head. “It’s our first year in Mumbai, so we’re doing it as a smaller, two-day event, but hopefully over the years we can make it as big as, say, Brazil, which runs for a few weeks now.”
Spreading the floor
The São Paulo NBA House from June 5-22 at Villa-Lobos State Park marks the league’s seventh playoff visit to Brazil—2024, 2023, 2022, and 2019 in São Paulo; 2020 virtually; and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. After last year’s installment drew more than 45,000 fans, brands including Budweiser, Emirates, Hellmann’s, Sadia, Sportingbet, and XP have jumped on to support the 2025 iteration.
“It’s a continuous experience through all the different days that are not only about watching the Finals, but also about experiencing a unique moment for friends and family and meeting influencers, content creators, and celebrities during this two and a half week event with activities every single day,” Zarraga said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of experience you would like to have: We found in NBA House a great opportunity for fans to enjoy it any way they want.”
