Kai Cenat’s Little Basketball Association
The 7th Annual Awards
- Best New Fan Experience
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
Kai Cenat – the biggest Twitch creator in the world – had a bold and creative vision to do something truly unprecedented. He wanted to create his own basketball league, with him at the center, with a fully professional-looking broadcast that had all the elements of an NBA-level production.
Oh, and he’d be playing with and against children.
It was bold, audacious, and (some might say) crazy, but he wanted to pull it off and was prepared to do whatever it took to make it happen.
That was the task given to Blue Duck Media and Night Media.
How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?
At the direction of Kai, and most importantly his “chat” (Twitch-speak for fans), Night Media and Blue Duck Media partnered to produce four days of professional broadcasts for an exhibition tournament of 22-year old Kai Cenat playing with and against eight and nine year olds, held at OTE Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Essentially, Kai’s team brought the joke from chat to life.
What made this live broadcast unique is that it was tailor-made for Kai’s chat and interactive in every way possible. During each of the streams, Kai would check in with chat for feedback, direction and ideas - sometimes while he was on the bench or in the game itself. Often, those check-ins prompted real-time storyline or production changes. Our teams stayed nimble to adapt to anything and everything to ensure that chat knew they were being heard and entertained. In an interactive environment, chat is king.
Objective
On September 22, 2024, Kai Cenat – the biggest Twitch creator in the world – wrote to his audience on X with a cryptic message: “I’m quitting streaming and becoming a professional basketball player. Goodbye.” Fans wondered if he was joking, but found out days later just how serious he was when Kai went live to the world on September 26 with the first of five streams of the Little Basketball Association (LBA) content.
While a transition to basketball may seem random to the average person, Kai’s millions of Twitch followers know his ambitions are real and that the LBA’s creation is a wink to past viral videos and highlights from BallisLife.com, a popular website and brand known for its basketball highlight videos. In one viral video, Kai is playing hard and the audience feels for him - until the camera pans out and it’s seen that his competitors are children.
Strategy & Execution
The broadcasts featured everything that fans have come to expect from National Basketball Association (NBA) games: pre-game tunnel walks and interviews, aerial shots of the arena, a high level talent booth featuring a play-by-play announcer and analyst (featuring names like NBA Champions Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, and voice of the Celtics Sean Grande), a national anthem singer, starting lineup announcement and theatrics, half-time speech access, a full graphics package made for the LBA, replays and highlights, telestrater work by the booth, contributor segments from media pros like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, FOX Sport’s Nick Wright and TNT’s Adam Lefkoe, courtside interviews with celebrities like rapper Lil’ Yachty and post-game press conference coverage.
Organizations
- Blue Duck Media
- Night Media
Featured
- Kai Cenat
- Broadcast team included NBA Champions Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye and voice of the Celtics Sean Grande.
- Additional talent:
- Pete Sousa
- King McClure
- Autumn Johnson
- Ros Gold-Onwude
Credits
Kai Cenat
Executive Producer
Kai Cenat
Gabe Goodwin
CEO & Executive Producer
Blue Duck Media
Paige Keffer
SVP/Talent & Co-Executive Producer
Blue Duck Media
Leah Ball
Talent Booker
Blue Duck Media
John Nelson
Executive Producer
Night Media
Kevin Franklin
Executive Producer
Night Media
Brianna Lewis
Executive Producer
Night Media
Jamie Carr
Graphics Producer
Night Media
Shane Wright
Associate Producer
Blue Duck Media
Sam Brown
Associate Producer
Blue Duck Media
Jessica Helfenstein
Stage Manager
Blue Duck Media
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 7th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 24, 2025 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
