This article is from BasketballNews.com’s Q&A session relayed by NBA PR Kevin Alonzo, with Leah MacNab, NBA Senior Vice President, Head of International Strategy. In this conversation, she shares insights into the NBA's globalization efforts, the significance of the NBA Paris Games, and the league's long-term international ambitions.

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Q: How would you describe the role of international games, like the NBA Paris Games, in driving the league’s globalization efforts?

Leah MacNab: “International games like The NBA Paris Games are a key component of our year-round efforts to grow the game globally and engage fans around the world. We have a large and passionate global fanbase, including in France and throughout Europe, and this is a rare opportunity for them to experience the excitement of an NBA game up close and in-person. In addition to the games in Paris this week, the league, both teams and our nine marketing partners are engaging tens of thousands of fans and youth from France, across Europe and beyond through exciting activations, events and programming that will serve as a catalyst for the continued growth of the game here.”

Q: What strategies have been most effective in establishing the NBA’s footprint across more than 200 countries and territories?

Leah MacNab: “We have a three-pronged strategy to grow basketball and engage our fans around the world throughout the year. This includes creating opportunities for young people to learn, play and develop on the court through programs like the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA, bringing the NBA experience to fans through events like the games this week in Paris, and making live games, programming and localized content as widely accessible as possible to fans no matter where they are in the world.”

Q: What role do international players, such as Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, play in driving interest and engagement in their home countries?

Leah MacNab: “Basketball is a truly global sport, and the international makeup of the NBA is a key differentiator for the league. The record-tying 125 international players on rosters at the start of this season, including the last six MVP Award winners, drive incredible interest in their home countries and regions and serve as global ambassadors for our game. For example, Victor Wembanyama not only drives interest in his native France and across Europe, but globally. As a rookie, Victor generated 1.3 billion views on NBA social media channels, becoming the fastest player ever to 1 billion views and the most-viewed rookie of all time.”

Q: Could you share insights on how the NBA selects international venues and how those decisions align with the league’s global growth goals?

Leah MacNab: “Staging international games involves a long planning process and we look at several factors, including the availability of arenas with the capacity to host these games, markets that have an affinity for basketball, cities and countries where we can grow the game, and destinations that our teams and players want to go to. There’s tremendous demand to host Global Games from fans, cities and partners around the world, but ultimately due to the density of our schedule we can only play a limited number of these games each year.”

Q: With record-breaking global viewership in recent years, what are the NBA’s long-term goals for international expansion?

Leah MacNab: “In addition to finding new and creative ways to engage fans in markets where there is already a strong affinity for basketball and the NBA, we’re also focused on regions of the world where we think there is tremendous growth potential for the league and the game. Africa, for instance, is home to one of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing populations with a strong sporting culture and incredible basketball talent. That’s one of the reasons we launched the Basketball Africa League. Having a professional basketball league in Africa supported by the NBA and FIBA expands and strengthens the basketball ecosystem, drives socioeconomic development, and inspires more African youth to play the game.”

Q: Do you foresee the establishment of permanent international NBA franchises or an increased number of games played abroad in the future?

Leah MacNab: “Right now, we’re in the very early stages at the league office of evaluating the potential of expansion and what that process could look like. There are many cities and many ownership groups – both inside and outside the U.S. – who have expressed interest in an expansion franchise. As far as NBA franchises in Europe, the density of our schedule and the time it takes to travel here would make that challenging. But we continue to study the prospect of being more involved on the ground here on a year-round basis, which we’re having conversations about this week with a variety of stakeholders who are in town for these games.”

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