Inside NBA House, the league’s big bet on wooing European fans

In the early 1980s, the National Basketball Association (NBA) faced a crisis. Television ratings were plummeting—the 1981 NBA finals were among the lowest of all time. Spurred by failing franchises, low game attendance, and declining corporate sponsorships, the league’s cultural relevance in the United States waned. Then in 1984, the league responded with a structural shift that would change the culture of sports for decades to come. 

“ We came together with the collective bargaining agreement where the players and the owners would work together to grow the game and expand the game and the values that we established in the Players Association,” says NBA legend and current NBA TV analyst Isiah Thomas. “The sacrifice that you had to make was you had to extend yourself to the fan base. You have to extend yourself to the media. You have to give access.”

This strategic move set off a basketball renaissance that reconfigured the league’s business for the modern era. Today the NBA, valued at over $160 billion, finds itself at another inflection point. More people are viewing programming on streaming platforms than on traditional television. Toward the end of 2024, the league’s ratings dipped by 19% in its early season. Coming into this current season, the NBA recalibrated its media strategy by entering new partnerships with NBCUniversal and streaming platform Amazon Prime. Within the first month of this season, the NBA’s viewership rebounded, drawing more than 60 million viewers.  

Now, the NBA is preparing to future-proof itself with its next strategic bet: intentionally designing its global fandom as it moves toward the launch of NBA Europe.

Why Now?

As the NBA deepens its push into Europe, the league is testing how to design a global fan experience tailored to the continent’s growing audience. According to the league, basketball is the fastest-growing sport in Europe, with more than 270 million fans across the continent.

Despite Europeans not having the same level of access to NBA games and content via traditional media, last season was the NBA’s most-viewed ever across its social and digital channels in Europe, generating more than one billion views across 11 localized accounts in seven languages. This season, European viewership of league games and content via NBA League Pass increased by over 37% year-over-year.

“We see enormous opportunity for basketball in Europe,” says Leah MacNab,  NBA senior vice president, head of International Strategy & Operations. “Despite that momentum, there is a significant gap between the level of interest in basketball and the sport’s untapped potential for fans, players, teams, cities, and overall commercial development across Europe. We believe a new league in Europe—working in partnership with FIBA [the International Basketball Federation]—would benefit fans, players, and the broader basketball ecosystem.”

While the NBA has focused on growing the game internationally for four decades, this moment is more deliberate. As the league explores establishing its own European league, it selected Berlin and London as host cities for this year’s regular season games. Basketball is the fastest-growing sport in these cities and the NBA is the continent’s most popular league. On January 15 and 18, the Orlando Magic took on the Memphis Grizzlies, matchups that marked the ninety-eighth and ninety-ninth NBA games played in Europe.  

The last time the NBA brought a game to London was in 2019, and the league’s approach this year reflects a systems-level strategy aimed at testing experiences, engaging fans, and building a long-term U.K. and European audience.

Inside NBA House London

Unlike the 2019 London Game, the NBA made significant investments in transforming Magazine London, a 215,214-square-foot event and cultural venue, into its NBA House experience. According to Laura Pinnell, NBA’s Europe & Middle East vice president, head of Consumer, the NBA House has evolved from a regional activation into a signature component of the league’s Global Games footprint and international fan engagement efforts.

Located just a short walk from the O2 arena, the site for the Orlando Magic versus Memphis Grizzlies matchup, the NBA House pop-up served as part fan zone, part prototype for the league to experiment with how fans experience the NBA beyond the game itself. Going into this three-day, immersive, 17,000 people registered with the league for the experience, with more than 50,000 fans registering for NBA House tickets across Berlin and London.  

“We recognize that most fans globally won’t have the opportunity to attend an NBA game in person,” explains Pinnell. “Free-to-attend activations like NBA House provide accessible ways for fans to immerse themselves in the NBA and feel connected to the league.”

As visitors entered London’s NBA House, they were greeted by a life-size league logo where they could snap photos. Moving through the venue, they encountered activations split across two main areas: the Creator Studio and the Court. According to Pinnell, the Creator Studio is a new format that debuted at the NBA London Game.

“Creators have long been an important part of the NBA ecosystem, and their connection with our global fan base has only grown in recent years,” says Pinnel. “NBA House felt like the perfect setting to bring these worlds together and offer a unique, elevated experience for fans.”

Sponsored by Experience Abu Dhabi, the Creator Studio featured several activations that allowed fans to step into the role of an NBA player. These included interactive basketball shooting games, a Foot Locker–backed activation where fans could film their own tunnel walk–style entrance, a pop-up NBA Store, and creator-led conversations featuring players from the Orlando Magic among other guests.

As fans entered the Court section of the house, they encountered sponsors like Tissot and 23 other brands, plus a range of activations and competitions: a full basketball court hosting clinics led by legends Isiah Thomas and Tony Parker, a three-point contest, and a dunk contest featuring a special appearance by Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant.

“The investment that has gone into this, the presence of partners that are in this space, the amount of freebies, competitions and coaching clinics we’re running, it is a huge investment,” says James Sherwood-Smith, a U.K.-based freelance presenter and NBA House London host who works in fan engagement across other sports like football and F1. “It’s a complete expense whereas other sports have to balance the books, the NBA is looking to make their mark, and in a generation’s time, they can start to think about the monetization of it.”  

NBA London Game Day

By the third and final day, fans lined up early to access the NBA House hours before the game’s tipoff. Meanwhile, in the sold-out arena, the energy was palpable. 

The NBA views its overseas games as an experiment for how a new fanbase might want to interact with the league. An international game looks like an NBA game in the U.S but feels different because it’s a novel experience for fans. The NBA team curated local celebrity talent like Premier League star Declan Rice and introduced NBA legends (a mix of American and European former players). In between gameplay, the league hosted fan competitions, crowd engagement activities, and prize giveaways to test how fans respond to various activities and environments. The goal is to create hyper-localized NBA experiences that will deepen fans’ connections to the league.

So far, it seems to be working. According to Prime, the NBA London Game 2026 viewership was up 90% in comparison to the 2019 London game.

NBA Europe Expansion 

The NBA’s commitment to building its global fandom in the U.K. and Europe through in-person experiences feeds into its larger goal of building a European league.  

Currently, the NBA operates as a closed league, meaning it comprises a fixed number of 30 teams each season unless the league approves entry of additional teams. In contrast, many international sports leagues, like professional soccer leagues, operate on an open model. This means teams within an open league can either be promoted to a higher league or relegated to a lower league based on performance.  

In partnership with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the NBA envisions a semi-open league or a hybrid approach with its expansion. The NBA Europe League would be comprised of 14 to 16 teams with 10 to 12 permanent franchises and four to six open spots available for any FIBA-affiliated domestic league in Europe to qualify for annually based on merit. 

The league’s position is that teams participating in the EuroLeague would not be eligible for participation in NBA Europe simultaneously. To create these teams, the league intends to explore three routes including: existing basketball teams, existing football clubs like those in the Premier League with an interest in expanding to basketball, and ownership groups keen on creating a new team from scratch. 

Despite its intentions to complement the current European basketball ecosystem as well as maximize competitive and commercial potential of basketball in Europe, the NBA has drawn criticism from some European stakeholders and policymakers. These critics warn that the NBA could supplant local culture, benefit only commercially successful clubs, and ultimately stifle competition. While current and former NBA players largely support its expansion, some players have a more measured stance. 

“ I think there’s a lot of untapped potential,” says Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic star and German native. “As long as you keep the tradition of European basketball here and not change the structure of how it works and lean into making it a bigger sport, it can only be positive for the U.K. and, and Europe as a whole.”  Wagner says there are certain aspects of European basketball culture that are  important to maintain as an NBA Europe league emerges. 

“The fan culture, the tradition of the clubs that have made up European basketball and shaped the landscape for a long time,” Wagner says. “They’ve developed these fan bases over a bunch of years and have such great history, they should still be intact. That’s a big part of what drives viewership and also why we have great atmospheres and gyms over here. [And] making sure that teams invest in their youth development.”

While Wagner emphasizes maintaining European tradition and fan culture, others are optimistic that the NBA will build a league that complements the existing ecosystem. 

“When there’s tradition, there’s always going to be people who[will] be critical to change,” says former Chicago Bulls star and host of travel series NOMAD Joakim Noah. “The NBA is great at marketing, great at branding, and I think it’s just a matter of time before it’s welcomed with open arms.”

Recent reports indicate that the market may already be opening its arms to the NBA. Following the London matchup, the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver convened a meeting with about 250 people, including potential brand partners Nike and Amazon and funders like KKR, Rothschild, and Blackstone. Representatives from Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, two soccer clubs that also have basketball teams, alongside clubs from Italy, Greece, and Germany were also present, suggesting that these clubs are moving beyond signaling initial interest in potential NBA Europe. 

Looking Ahead

The league will continue building its global brand beyond Europe with the upcoming 2026 NBA All-Star game, its longstanding global showcase for fans, media, and partners. According to the NBA, this season’s opening-night rosters featured 71 European players, including the league’s top players like Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Serbia’s Nikola Jokić, Slovenia’s Luka Dončić, and France’s Victor Wembanyama. These players are part of the starting five for this year’s All-Star Game, which the league revamped for the first time as a U.S. v. World format.

“The new U.S. vs. World All-Star format highlights that the level of international talent in the NBA is at an all‑time high, which is driving even greater interest and growth across Europe and around the world,” says the NBA’s MacNab. “This record level of talent and engagement with basketball and the NBA is a key reason why we think a new league in Europe could be the next frontier for basketball on the continent.” 

As the NBA pushes its international strategy forward, viewership among American and global audiences will evolve alongside it.

“ I do believe that what we are seeing and what the fans want to see, [it’s] not a coincidence,” says NBA Hall of Famer and current NBC analyst Carmelo Anthony. “This is NBC’s first chance to introduce that side of things earlier than expected. This is the jumpstart to let people know this is what’s to come and get used to seeing this global basketball brand . . . It’s all part of the plan.”