The NBA brand is one of the biggest sporting franchises not just in the USA but in the world. Collectively, the 30 franchises in the league accumulate a worth of an astonishing $90 billion, proving that they are arguably the most marketable sports league in the world.
This is especially apparent during the playoffs when interest is at a season high. They continue to attract gigantic viewing figures around the world and the NBA postseason is consistently must-see TV for sports fans whether they have a horse in the race or not. Last year’s six game finals series averaged around 12,402,000 viewers in the US alone, not including streams or international viewers.
DraftKings Sportsbook currently have the Boston Celtics as favorites to bring home the championship at the culmination of this season.
The NBA brand has become one of the biggest in the world, so much so that it transcends sports. Just ask your grandmother who her
favorite basketball player is. She likely won’t be able to answer, but she’ll know who LeBron James is. This is part of what makes the brand so successful: their marketability and branding. The league markets their star players, helping to make them crossover stars. They become some of the most recognisable faces in the world both in and out of sports. Endorsements are major sources of income for players as they add value and make leagues and players marketable. The league has sponsorships and partnerships with brands like State Farm, Sprite, Kia and Nike to build brand awareness.
The league has even become popular in fashion in a few different ways. To begin with, they promote the fashion of their players, which again goes along with their willingness to create stars. You will often see players outfits spoken about ono their socials as they arrive to games and on TV. This is in stark contrast to their values historically, however. Former commissioner David Stern infamously implemented a
dress code in 2005. The code stated that ‘all players must dress in business or conservative attire while arriving and departing during a scheduled game, on the bench while injured, and when conducting official NBA business’. This was the cause of much controversy at the time and was thought to be a direct result of Allen Iverson’s stature as a pop culture icon at his time of playing. The 76ers legend would arrive to games and press conferences dressed down in hip-hop style clothes which Stern deemed unprofessional.
During an interview with OpenCourt-Basketball in 2017, Iverson said: “I was just being me. I never planned none of it. I simply dressed like the dude from my hood that I grew up with. In the end, it was a bittersweet feeling, because I took an ass-whoopping for it… just for being myself.”
There are a few reasons floated around for why Stern implemented this which range from discriminatory to conspiratorial. However, one of the simplest reasons is that Stern did now want any one player to feel ‘bigger than the league’. This ultimately set the league back and just made the path to where the NBA was always likely to end up longer.
Merchandising is also huge for the NBA. Their official brand deal with Nike means that they exclusively design all NBA jerseys. This is a huge get for the NBA as Nike is of course one of if not
the biggest sports and fashion brands in the world. By helping to create stars by leaning into the showmanship of sports, you create intrigue and idolisation. If your idol is Steph Curry, who was the biggest player jersey in 2022-23, then you want a Stephen Curry jersey.
The leagues finances have grown exponentially since the turn of the millennium. In the 2001-02 season, the NBA saw a total revenue of $2.66 billion, which would still be relatively significant even now for many other sports leagues. In 2021-22, that number had grown to $10.02 billion.
They have also turned heavily to live streaming too. In keeping up with technological advancements, they have helped keep the viewing experience fresh and exciting as well as bringing in an entirely new stream of revenue. The NBA League pass was made by the league for the league and allows fans to watch every game during the regular season. Essentially, the league is very good at appealing to a younger audience. Certainly more so than other leagues.
Younger people are tuning in at a much higher rate than the NFL for example. This is again a direct result of focusing in on personalities off the court and helping to create stars that young people want to see dazzling their screens.
The NBA has one of the most successful business models in sports. They are consistently investing in the future by shedding light on their own talent and in turn creating generation after generation of new fans.
