The National Basketball Association (NBA) is adding its social media handle to the official game ball, the league announced Thursday. They are the first professional sports league to do so.
First look at the NBA’s updated official game ball.
“The ball is the instantly recognizable symbol of our game, and now our fans have a place there too, where they belong,” said Melissa Rosenthal Brenner, the NBA’s Senior Vice President of Digital Media.
This is the second change to the game ball in the last year. New Commissioner Adam Silver’s signature replaced David Stern in February after Stern’s 30 years in office.
The NBA continues to lead all professional sports teams with its social media platform. They have over 660 million followers and likes combining all platforms, including almost 25 million on Facebook.
The Association is thorough on every one of its accounts – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Vine – posting all kinds of behind-the-scenes videos and photos, along with stories, to bring fans closer to the game.
Twitter Followers —
NBA: 10.8M
NFL: 7.03M
MLB: 3.72M
NHL: 2.57M
MLS: 578K
WNBA: 466K
I like this subtle addition as the NBA is staying ahead of the curve.
After announcing the change, the NBA posted pictures and videos of players with the new ball. Here’s a video with Pacers swingman Paul George: