NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 22: NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum looks on during the second round of the … More
The NBA Playoffs are here, with the first two games of the first round fully completed, and much more on the way.
As has become tradition, the league’s postseason is positively loaded with international flavor.
68 international players, from 28 countries, are active for the playoffs, with Canada leading the way with 15 eligible players, and Australia behind them at nine.
This comes as no surprise, as the NBA has been flooded with players from outside of the United States over the past decade.
NBA Deputy Commissioner & Chief Operating Officer, Mark Tatum, bases the influx of international players in the NBA on “extraordinary talent” in this wide-ranging interview.
Marketing international players to US-based audiences
One element that’s often discussed amongst fans and pundits is the so-called idea that one singular player should become the face of the league, as LeBron James has been for almost two decades.
With James now 40, and ramping down his NBA career, there’s a theory that the league might struggle to find its next front figure given that the current group of top-tier players are internationals.
At the very least, many expect the NBA to meet some challenges in selling non-American players to, well, America.
Tatum, however, sees it differently. He argues that there has “never been more talent in the NBA than there is today”, pointing to the league’s constant growth internationally, and Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, a 21-year-old French superstar, to make his point.
“He has become a global superstar who generates immense interest both in the U.S. and worldwide. This season’s top-selling jerseys and most-viewed NBA players on social media prominently featured international players, which speaks to the interest they are driving among fans on a global basis.”
Furthermore, Tatum points out that Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić topped the list of best-selling jerseys, marking the first time an international player achieved the top rank.
The international flavor
With the arrival of so many international players, the NBA has been met with some changes in how the game is being played.
Just as Michael Jordan’s mind-bending athleticism and creativity captivated players from all around the world, so did players from outside the US inspire play styles that are now the norm.
“One of the great benefits of being such an international league is the infusion of diverse playing styles and skill sets. Throughout league history, we’ve seen innovative moves like the “Eurostep” or “Dream Shake” introduced by players from different regions of the world. These unique styles not only captivate fans but also push the envelope of what is possible on a basketball court, driving the evolution of the game,” Tatum says.
He isn’t wrong, and it’s not just moves that have entered the NBA from the world outside of the US.
The stretch-four moniker, which describes a floor-spacing power forward, also became more cemented when Dirk Nowitzki became a star, and is a moniker used to an even bigger extent now, several years after his retirement.
The aforementioned Dončić, who’s from Slovenia, has also changed the game with a much larger emphasis on deceleration, and change of pace, seen from virtually every guard from around the league.
The above skills, monikers, and moves have all been added to the cooking gumbo, which makes up the NBA of today.
What’s ironic is that the game will change again. It always does. There’s constantly a new trend, or a new style, which will capture people’s imagination. Nowadays it quite simply matter much less where those add-ons originated from.
Busting some myths about big and small markets
Given that the playoffs are currently active, naturally one major NBA myth has reared its head yet again, as it’s wont to do.
That myth – or assumption – being that the league only wish for major markets to make it to the Finals.
Tatum, who has long been a proponent of parity in the NBA, cites a game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies, both small-market teams, checking in at 4.45 million viewers as an example that it needn’t exclusively be big markets that draw attention.
Having unexpected teams go far in the postseason, regardless of the size of their respective markets, is viewed as an asset inside of the league.
“There’s no doubt that parity is good for the NBA. Our system is designed to create competitive opportunity across the league where every team, if well-managed, has a chance to compete for a championship. With so many different teams across the league that have a genuine chance to win it all this year, we could see a seventh different champion in a seven-season span for the first time ever this June,” he says.
There is, of course, also the element of streaming to take into consideration here, just as the internet in its totality makes the game far more accessible than ever before, thus negating some of the big-market advantages.
NBA League Pass has continued to grow for years, and according to Tatum, the league remain focused on “meeting our fans where they are”, by prioritizing accessibility, optionality and personalization for live game viewership.
That said, don’t cut the cable quite yet. TV is very much still in the picture.
“While streaming is increasingly popular among younger fans, traditional TV remains an important part of our strategy. That’s why it’s important for us to be diversified with the right mix of broadcast, cable and streaming in our new media rights agreements tipping off next season,” Tatum says.
He’s excited about next year, citing the increased game availability for consumers, due to the newly-arranged TV-deal, which includes multiple partnerships.
“Not only are they the most global media deals in NBA history, but every nationally televised game in the U.S. will be available on widely distributed streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Peacock and ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer service. We’ve already delivered alternate feeds, unique camera angles and personalized viewing options on NBA League Pass, and we’re excited about how streaming can enhance the fan experience in our new media partnerships.”
To the naked eye, this might seem like a lot of promotional talk.
Yet, the increased NBA availability in other regions than the United States is a major asset for not just the continued growth of the league, but also to inspire future players.
The Dream Team in 1992 was not just the biggest group of individual talents ever gathered under the same banner. It was also the first time games featuring those stars were widely accessible through normal flow-television.
For the interest in basketball to be maintained around the world, and for that to lead to player growth, access is key.
Who knows? Perhaps some kid, thousands of miles from the nearest US coastline, is currently watching Nikola Jokić and Kawhi Leonard go at it in the first round, and is determined to become a mixture of both, laying the pathway for him to eventually make his own debut in the playoffs.
