@NBA Twitter in Real-Time

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

The @NBA Twitter handle has surpassed 42 million followers and continues to see high engagement. This submission details the strategy behind the NBA’s Twitter presence and the continued success during the submission timeframe.

How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?

Social media is all about connection, and Twitter is about connection in real-time. By leveraging the NBA’s unparalleled access, content and Twitter’s tools, @NBA Twitter is able to connect fans to the moments they care about as they are happening.

@NBA Twitter has become a leader and trend-setter, when it comes to providing fans access to the moments that shape the NBA, sport and culture. By expanding into covering previously untapped areas such as Pro-Am leagues, NBA Draft prospect showcase matchups and more, @NBA Twitter has set a new precedent this year showcasing basketball content year-round.

Objective

The NBA’s objective on Twitter is to make fans feel connected to and a part of every moment during the NBA’s year-round calendar. This ranges from NBA All-Star Weekend and the NBA Finals, to the Media Days and Preseason work where it all begins, and every milestone moment along the way.

With the year-round NBA calendar, the NBA social team has a unique challenge to cover events almost every day in real-time. And there’s nothing more real-time than Twitter - which makes #NBATwitter so special. @NBA Twitter is focused on providing fans with all the information they may need to know about top storylines and games—allowing them to learn and stay up-to-date with the league. The real-time nature of this content allows fans to engage with each other and the league in the moment within the comments of the NBA’s posts.

Strategy & Execution

Basketball never stops, and NBA Twitter provides fans unprecedented access during what used to be the doldrums of the NBA coverage cycle. In July 2022, LeBron James made his long-awaited return to the legendary Drew League, and @NBA Twitter was there with coverage from on-site and real-time highlights that made fans feel connected to an intimate, previously-inaccessible space.

In October 2022, when Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson faced off in a showcase exhibition, the NBA again connected fans to the moment through exclusive coverage, as well as amplification of players and legends Tweeting about the game and what it meant for the league’s future.

Jump to February 7, 2023, when LeBron broke the scoring record. You could feel the pulse of the moment on in the NBA’s feed, with high-end content in the leadup to the game, on-site coverage of his suit-wearing arrival, sights and sound from LeBron and legends in the building, and real-time highlights and text with each bucket he scored. When the record was set, @NBA Twitter was the leader in the NBA Twitter community with the speed and comprehensiveness of coverage of the play, the moment, the ceremony, and the reverberations it sent throughout the basketball world.

Organizations

• NBA

Credits

Andrew Yaffe
SVP, Head of Social, Digital & Original Content
NBA

Bob Carney
SVP, Social & Digital Content
NBA

Ashley Atwell
AVP, Social & Emerging Media
NBA

Justin D’Apolito
Director, Social Content
NBA

Adam Fedorko
AVP, Social & Digital Content Creation
NBA

Jim Poorten
Senior Manager, Social Content
NBA

Jake Freeman
Senior Manager, Social Content
NBA

Simon Cherin-Gordon
Associate Manager, Social Content
NBA

Elias Williams
Associate Manager, NBA Social Content
NBA

Peter Richter
Director, Social & Digital Content Design
NBA

Leah Berry
Senior Manager, Social & Digital Content Creation
NBA

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Jerry Jones Jr.
Manager, Social & Digital Content Design
NBA

Anthony Ottomano
Manager, Social & Digital Content Creation
NBA

Maggie Engellenner
Senior Manager, New Media Content Partnerships
NBA

Mariah Bailey
Associate Manager, New Media Content Partnerships
NBA

Kevin Esteves
Associate Vice President, Content Strategy & Business Intelligence
NBA

Iveta Karapetian
Director, Digital Content Analyst
NBA

Yisel Taveras
Associate Manager, Digital Content Analyst
NBA

John Xu
Associate Manager, Digital Content Analyst
NBA

Adam Brody
Manager, Social & Digital Content Creation
NBA

Corbin Mills
Project Employee, NBA Social Content
NBA