NBA PARIS GAMES GIVE SPURS, PACERS A CHANCE TO EXTEND BRANDS
Some fans who tune in to the upcoming NBA Paris Games may view the contests only as a homecoming
for Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-3 star who’s leading the San Antonio Spurs back to competitive
relevance. There is a deep connection between Wembanyama, the Spurs and France.
But the regular season games in Paris on Jan. 23 and 25 are also prime opportunities for nonWembanyama members of the Spurs to demonstrate their talents, as well as for the Indiana Pacers to
extend their brand in a global showcase.
This is the first time that the NBA will have more than one regular-season game in Paris, and the pair of
Spurs vs. Pacers games are being billed almost like an All-Star event in Europe, with fans expected to
travel from over 53 countries and 24 U.S. states to witness the festivities. There are activations and
community events throughout the metropolitan area.
Arguably no team in NBA history has embraced international basketball better than the Spurs, with
much of that connection woven through France thanks to Hall of Fame guard Tony Parker and titlewinning role player Boris Diaw. San Antonio also used a first-round draft pick on French center Ian
Mahinmi in 2005, and he went on to have a 12-year NBA career.
Wembanyama arrived at the perfect time for the Spurs—and the NBA—as strengthened social media
connections between continents and languages have enabled fans across the globe to follow his day-to-day
development.
“We’ve played in Mexico five times,” Spurs’ chief commercial officer Frank Miceli said in a video
interview. “Yes, we played in Berlin. We played in Istanbul. [The NBA] has used us as a global team, but to
go back to France? Even when Tony was here, we didn’t have that opportunity. So the social media
standpoint is a big driver of that.”
The NBA has 11.2 million social media followers across all platforms from France, the most of any
European nation. On its social channels, French players have generated over 850 million views, the most
of any country outside of North America.
Despite not being very active on social media, Wembanyama has 4.4 million Instagram followers and is
the third-most viewed NBA player (735 million views) behind LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Followers of the Spurs’ Instagram page in France have grown by 123%.
On the flip side are the Pacers, who don’t have the same high-wattage international spotlight and expect
to come into hostile territory in Paris. In countering the homecourt feel for San Antonio, Pacers EVP of
strategy and new business ventures Joey Graziano believes that activations for Pacers gear and tickets to
the games and in-arena brand ambassadors will convert attendees into Pacers fans “in real time.”
“I want our players to look up and see how many fans in that arena are wearing gold,” Graziano said in a
video interview. ”We’re all going to shock the world with how many Pacers fans that we can have as a part
of these games.”
The biggest association NBA fans could make between France and Indiana is the famed moniker for the
state’s favorite son Larry Bird, “the Hick from French Lick.” Graziano, however, highlighted that the ties
between the two are deeper than meets the eye.
“France is Indiana’s largest European export destination and fifth largest globally,” Graziano said,
referring to the more than $2 billion worth of goods made in the state that are sent to France. “We’re
home to 48 French-based companies, so there’s a deep connection, and there’s a recognition that we need
to have a presence in those markets.”
Both teams as well as the league have said there’s never been a better time to be an NBA fan in France. In
October, the league signed a one-year extension of its current broadcasting rights deal with beIN Sports.
Viewership for the network has grown by 67% over the last five years. More weekend games are scheduled
to air in primetime, with viewership of those games doubling in the same five-year period.
Subscriptions to NBA League Pass have grown by 36% since last season, and next season the league will
begin streaming live games and shoulder programming on Prime Video. Miceli said international
viewership of Spurs games on League Pass has grown by 77%.
Just as Graziano looks at how the metrics can help support the Pacers’ business interests in Paris, Miceli
feels equally as confident for what the data can portend for the Spurs, not only in Paris but back home in
Texas.
“The other part (of the trip) is taking some of our current partners from San Antonio and Austin and other
places, taking them there to develop and deepen the relationship from a hospitality standpoint,” Miceli
said. “We have lots of goals in mind about growing all our digital and social fan bases while we’re there.
We think we can do all those things.”
San Antonio ($3.79 billion, +15% YoY) and Indiana ($3.74 billion, +14%) are 20th and 21st, respectively,
in Sportico’s NBA franchise valuations.
Discussion Questions:
1. Would the NBA extend this trend further into other foreign regions and markets, like China, or other
places?
2. To what extent has social media influenced NBA teams and the league compared with before?