Within the boundaries of the United States of America, the National Basketball Association (NBA) is known cross the country, from Oregon all the way to Florida. Like soccer is to the British, and cricket to Indians, basketball is religiously followed and played by millions in the U.S.

Local courts, college stadiums and professional arenas are packed all year round with NBA-crazed fans cheering on their local or favorite team. The fandom effect is felt country-wide, despite the influences of American Football and baseball. Considering it is always difficult to rival a sport's popularity in its home country, there is also a considerable NBA presence on a global scale. We will take a brief look into where the biggest NBA markets are, along with some contributing factors that are fueling the NBA phenomenon worldwide.

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It goes without saying that the NBA as a basketball league is known around the whole world. From Fiji to Jamaica, Lithuania to Singapore, sports fans will have heard of the NBA and some of the star players, past and present. However, there are only certain countries where the NBA has truly penetrated the underbelly of sports popularity.

Statistically, the Philippines harbors the largest NBA following outside of the U.S. The country, with a population of 115.6 million (2022), attracts Filipinos across several platforms, including the NBA League Pass and social media channels such as X, TikTok, and Facebook. 923 million engagements were recorded across these Filipino social media accounts during the 2022/23 season with the popularity continuing to spread to the remaining persons not currently following the NBA craze.

The incredible following in the Philippines is somewhat unique, considering the NBA has not had a truly famous Filipino superstar in its history. The pure love of the sport drives the popularity. This passion has also garnered a strong NBA following in countries such as Australia, Brazil, and China, with China’s Yao Ming the tallest player at 2.29m to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The NBA fever extends into Europe as well, with Spain, Italy, and France flying the NBA flag on the continent. Despite basketball being listed as the national sport in Lithuania, there is not such a large NBA following, potentially because of the preference for local teams, while Serbia also do not rank high on the list of countries following the NBA, despite boasting Nikola Jokić as one of their own.

The 2023 MVP also starred for his country at the recent Olympics where Serbia finished with a bronze medal in the men’s competition, defeating Germany 93-83 in the bronze medal game. However, the euphoria of 2023, which saw a spike in Serbian interest, has seemingly died down. Success is sometimes everything in sport. Nevertheless, the NBA has found solid grounding in a country like Serbia because of a successful import.

Social media the key for the NBA

In the current era, basketball fans all over the world are consuming huge amounts of content on social media platforms, either from teams or players themselves. Social media enables the NBA, teams, and players alike to connect with fans inside and outside the U.S. It is a key driver for popularity and plays a highly significant role in the influence of the NBA across the world.

While social media is a power tool, streaming services such as Netflix and Disney- are also churning out more basketball-related content and proving a useful instrument in reaching new audiences. The Last Dance starring Michael Jordan showcases the achievements of one of the most iconic basketball stars in history and also fills a generation gap to those who did not have the pleasure of being around when Jordan was playing.

Overall, the wider and faster spread of information is allowing the NBA to reach audiences far and wide, whether it is with the latest news, live streams, or highlight packages. Nowadays, there are even emerging industries that are supporting the dissemination of NBA information. Avid sports fans will also be consulting sports books to get the latest on the NBA, with more betting markets than ever presented on these platforms. The increased popularity of the NBA is in turn leading to betting on the NBA and gives fans another reason to follow a team or the sport.

Even from betting markets, it is possible to learn which teams are trending hot or cold and which players are going to make the key plays. Regardless of who fans go for in the U.S, there is no doubting the global impact the Los Angeles Lakers have on the worldwide basketball community. With over 190,000,000 followers on Instagram, the LA Lakers rival the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona for online followers, with the largest international fan base found in Mexico and Colombia. Although they might not feature high on the betting markets, LeBron James and co. dominate the popularity charts. That could quickly change as the NBA word spreads to more people around the world.