The NBA and France are a great love story! So much so that every year since 2020 (except during the Covid years...), the American basketball league has organized several games in Paris: the NBA Paris Games! Two games that count towards the championship, and which see two teams face off for a round-trip match (twice the same game, in short) on French soil, much to the delight of fans.
And there are plenty of fans in France... so many in fact that bookings for these two matches have been taken by storm. It's quite simple: within 24 hours, all tickets were sold out! The same goes for the NBA Paris Jam, the "gala match" version of the event featuring two celebrity teams (including Teddy Riner), which sold out in the same amount of time. No tickets have been sold out since the box office opened!
A real craze for basketball in France, which will surprise some, not others, but above all which is pushing the NBA to expand its market in France. And with good reason: according to a YouGov survey, basketball is the fastest-growing sport in France (and in Europe, too). Why is it so popular? How are events like these, and video games, helping to raise the profile of basketball in France?
To tell us all about it, we met Dave Brody, Vice President, Global Partner Management Leader at the NBA, and Ronnie 2K, influencers and contributors to the development of 2K Games' basketball game. The appeal of Paris, ticket sales, the impact of the Olympic Games... They tell us all about it.
Watch the interview below:
Sortiraparis: Why did you choose Paris to host this event? How attractive is the capital from a sporting point of view?
Dave Brody:
I can think of several things. Basketball is the fastest-growing sport in France right now, with a rich heritage. In France, we're living in a real golden age for French basketball. This year, we have an equalled record of 14 French players in the NBA, the most for any country outside North America. You've got stars like Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. But also, did you see what happened at the draft lastyear? Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr were selected first and second. We set a new record with six French players selected. We'd never had two players selected first and second outside of the Americans before at the draft. So I think the momentum here is incredible.
The other thing is that after the Olympic Games last summer, we saw that, during the men's and women's finals, 50% of TV households in France watched these matches. So for us, when we see what last summer represented, there's a lot of discussion among fans about the impact of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. We believe that Paris, given what happened last summer with basketball and what we continue to do, will be a catalyst for continued growth, both here in France and around the world. This week really felt like we were part of something bigger. I've been to a lot of games, and this week of NBA in France takes on a dimension of its own. It's a celebration of both teams, of the love of the game after what happened here last summer. It's pretty incredible.
[Question from the Mail: How is this event different from previous years?]
Dave Brody:
This is a historic week for our fans in France and for the European continent as a whole. With Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs playing, it's the first time we've held two games here in this city in one season, which has never been done before. And when we decided to do two games, we were very curious to see how quickly tickets would sell out. We sold out both games in less than 24 hours. On top of that, we broke another record this year. Fans from 53 different countries bought tickets for this weekend's matches. You know, for us at the office, we always talk about what the game means. And as far as Thursday night's match is concerned, it was the most watched match of all time in France. So, for us, it's historic in many ways, and obviously there are many different stories, but overall, it was simply exceptional.
Sortiraparis: Have you noticed the impact of the Olympic Games on the NBA Paris Games? On bookings, for example?
Dave Brody:
Yes, we saw an impact. The Olympic Games were a global showcase for our sport. We had 139 NBA and WNBA players participating in basketball at the Paris 2024 Olympics. And after that, we continue to see significant growth in our key indicators in France, not only thanks to what happened this summer, but also since Victor Wembanyama joined the Spurs. We can talk not only about what he does on the pitch, but also about what we see off it. I think Victor's impact was already very noticeable before the games, but the Olympics have put a spring in his step.
Ronnie 2K:
I think from an NBA 2K video game perspective, we're seeing that growth as well. I can't get into the details of the numbers, but when we look at the markets we're targeting, it's very much aligned with the NBA. We follow the investments they make here and invest just as much in France. Obviously, the Olympic Games have probably been a remarkable catalyst, but again, it's all just beginning...
Sortiraparis: In your opinion, can NBA Paris Games and NBA 2K help to democratize basketball in France? How successful are they in doing so?
Dave Brody:
This year we have two games, which, as you know, has never been done before. Last night(the interview was conducted on Saturday, January 25, Editor's note), we had our NBA Paris Jam, which celebrates the lifestyle around basketball. We've never organized this event before. We welcomed well-known influencers here in France, as well as others from around the world. It was a convergence of lifestyle, fashion, and we had a concert after the game with Dadju.Esteban Ocon 's team took on Teddy Riner's, and the engagement was incredible throughout the evening.
We also relaunched the NBA House this week. We brought together nine partners, as well as the Pacers and Spurs. It's a free event for fans here in France. So, just talking about this week, we should reach over 8,000 young people, coaches and referees thanks to our Junior NBA week. And more broadly, outside the games, as I mentioned earlier, these games are like an All-Star Game in Europe.
But throughout the year, we obviously broadcast games on beIN SPORTS, along with League Pass. Thanks to these two platforms, you can watch all NBA games throughout the season. This week's games were also available free of charge on Canal+.
We're the only ones, I think, in this particular market, because we have official NBA France channels on X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, with content in French, offering a personalized, tailored experience. Even in terms of merchandising, what we're seeing here is pretty phenomenal. You have official NBA stores in France, and of course, the NBA Store Europe online store to buy products.
All these represent different points of contact that we develop throughout the year. On an annual basis, we reach over 200,000 young people through our Junior NBA programs. Our strategy here is to make basketball as accessible as possible, both to watch and to play. All these elements show how we are making this goal a reality. We recognize the craze and enthusiasm for basketball here in France, and we continue to explore unique experiences to meet that passion.
Ronnie 2K:
On the gaming side, we're also celebrating the NBA Paris Games. We have challenges in MyTeam and MyCareer. For example, in the City, if you win a 3-on-3 match at certain events, you can win Pacers and Spurs gear, as well as NBA Paris Games accessories for your character in MyCareer. In MyTeam, if you complete the challenge - which I believe started on January 20 and is available everywhere - you'll receive a pack containing ten French players randomly selected from those of different generations. It's a pretty exciting feature, but it's mainly designed to broadcast this event to our global audience. Our main aim is to involve people in this special moment. If some aren't physically present, we engage them via our platform too. It also allows us to reach more people and get them interested in the sport.
Sortiraparis: Why do you think it's important for the NBA to come to fans outside the USA?
Dave Brody:
For us, our mission is to inspire and connect people through basketball, all over the world. We've organized over 210 international games, in virtually every region and corner of the globe. Our games are broadcast in over 50 languages and in more than 200 countries and territories. For me, there was a moment the other night that really symbolizes basketball's ability to bring different cultures and people together. I don't speak French, but I don't know if you saw it: Victor Wembanyama took the microphone before the game to speak to the audience at theAccor Arena. I don't speak French, so I didn't know what he was saying, but I felt I knew exactly what he meant. This camaraderie, this passion in the room... and of course, we saw that it was the most watched game ever in France. It just goes to show that basketball is a universal language that brings people together. For us, that's our mission: we're entirely focused on bringing people together around the world through basketball.
Ronnie 2K:
I mentioned that we have a very good share of NBA fans owning consoles in the United States. Our growth opportunity - and what we're investing in - is clear: I've traveled a lot to attend all the games in other territories. I was in Abu Dhabi a few months ago to support growth there. So we're extremely focused on that too. There are fans. And I think we have a responsibility. A lot of people have mentioned that, even if you're not an NBA fan who regularly watches games, we can, in our own way, be an educational tool for a video game player. And it's a completely different audience that we can work with together. It's a very important thing here, internationally.
