@NBA Threads
The 6th Annual Awards
- Other Platform Presence
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
The NBA created its Threads account in conjunction with the platform launch and quickly became the highest followed U.S. sports league. The NBA Threads community has since grown significantly and become among the most engaged groups of users on Threads.
Ahead of the Knockout Rounds (Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals) of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament, the NBA and Meta were focused on ways to engage fans on the platform, while promoting awareness and tune-in of the Tournament. As part of these efforts, the NBA and Meta developed a creator program to engage the community and bring them closer to the game.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
This submission is a testament to how you can leverage social media to innovate and create new pathways to immerse fans in the excitement of sports, which often have synergy with entertainment and culture more broadly . First, the NBA became a leading publisher on Threads - leading to the NBA Threads community growing on the platform (The @NBA Threads account gained nearly 200K followers over the course of the activation). Then, the NBA tapped into the creators and top fans in the NBA Threads community to engage with them and amplify their content during a brand new tentpole event for the league.
Objective
The NBA created its Threads account in conjunction with the platform launch and quickly became the highest followed U.S. sports league. The NBA Threads community has since grown significantly and become among the most engaged groups of users on Threads.
Ahead of the Knockout Rounds (Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals) of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament, the NBA and Meta were focused on ways to engage fans on the platform, while promoting awareness and tune-in of the Tournament. As part of these efforts, the NBA and Meta developed a creator program to engage the community and bring them closer to the game.
Strategy & Execution
As part of the NBA Threads creator program for the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament, the NBA tapped content creators to bring the excitement of the event to their followers.
During the Quarterfinals, the NBA hosted “watch parties” with NBA creators on Threads. @NBA posted a call to action, tipping-off the watch parties with the two creators each night, which gave fans a new way to experience live NBA games. @NBA would post about the game action and amplified content featuring reactions from the creators, which generated a high level of engagement and interaction from the NBA Threads community.
Additionally, the NBA and Meta hosted more than 15 creators during the In-Season Tournament Semifinals and the Finals. Creators attended games and captured content at a variety of events, including open practices, the red carpet and the Creator Cup game, to name a few. Select creators also had the opportunity to interview players after each game during media availability sessions. Creators then shared their experience at the event with followers on Threads – @NBA interacted with and amplified their content, garnering significant engagement from the community of fans on the platform.
Organizations
- NBA
Links
Featured Creators
- Briana Green
- Da Kid Gowie
- Kris London
- Austin Sprinz
- Ben Winters
- Lexie Brown
- Chloe Pavlech
- Jesse “Jesser” Riedel
- Brittany Elena
- Kofie Yeboah
- Joy De’Angela
- Maddy “Maddy Hoops” Kirchofer
- Cameron “Spice King” Walker
- Avani Gregg
- Madi Monroe
- Daryl-Ann Denner
- Nekias Duncan
- Travonne “Blk Tray” Edwards
- Eddie “Bansky” Gonzales
- Bailey Jackson
- Paris Kinsey
- Jordan Howlett
- Carlos “Famous Los” Sanford
- Max “maxisnice” Perandize
- Taylor “LittleTFitness” Learmont
Credits
Andrew Yaffe
Executive Vice President, Head of Social, Digital and Original Content
NBA
Bob Carney
Senior Vice President, Social and Digital Content
NBA
Linda Pan
Senior Vice President, Content Partnerships
NBA
Teddy Kaplan
Vice President, New Media Partner Management Lead, Content Partnerships
NBA
Ashley Atwell
Associate Vice President, Social and Emerging Media
NBA
Jason Gilfillan
Associate Vice President, Influencer Content Lead
NBA
Justin D’Apolito
Director, Social Content
NBA
Maggie O’Rourke
Director, New Media Partner Management, Content Partnerships
NBA
Jake Freeman
Senior Manager, Social Content - Content Planning
NBA
Adam Brody
Manager, Social and Digital Content Creation
NBA
Simon Cherin-Gordon
Manager, Social Content
NBA
Anthony Ottomano
Manager, Social and Digital Content Creation
NBA
Samantha Linczyc
Associate Manager, Social Content
NBA
Myles O'Connell
Head of Media Partnerships
Meta
Isaura Morales Ruiz
Head of Sports Partnerships
Meta
Shannon Mattingly
Media Partnerships
Meta
Evan Shugerman
Sports Partnerships and Marketing
Meta
Will Yoder
Sports Partnerships - Leagues and Teams Lead
Meta
Nick Marquez
Sports Creator and Emerging Athletes Lead
Meta
Becca Greenwell Wathen
Strategic Partner Manager, Athletes
Meta
Sydney Umeri
Program Manager, Sports Partnerships
Meta
Cat Coddington
Creator Partnerships
Meta
Alex Duffield
Creator Partnerships
Meta
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
