NBA Con
The 6th Annual Awards
- Best New Fan Experience
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
NBA Con is a first-of-its-kind fan event curating the interests of NBA tastemakers into one holistic live experience by featuring the game's biggest stars and legends, leading brands, and activations, live podcasts and panel discussions, chart topping music performances, limited-edition merchandise, and exclusive product drops.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
The NBA is the authority on hoop culture, influencing music, fashion, tech, and entertainment around the globe. Because of this, NBA Con was inspired by authentic hoop culture; it cultivated all elements of the basketball community into a one-of-a kind, fan-first fan experience that had never before been created. With Summer League as a backdrop, NBA Con was at the center of the NBA universe this past July. NBA Con hosted more than 125 NBA player & legends including 20 NBA Champions, 7 players from the 75th anniversary team, and 6 former number one overall draft picks.
Fans heard interviews, participated in meet-and-greets, and engaged with these players and legends in numerous ways. By bringing together celebrities, athletes, and artists across industries for bespoke panels, performances and major announcements, NBA Con cultivated a Vegas-worthy fan experience.
Objective
The first ever NBA Con welcomed more than 28,730 NBA global fans from 42 states and 13 countries. Fans were able to explore activations from each of the 46 exhibitors and NBA global partners including AT&T, ESPN, Michelob Ultra, Pepsi, New Era, Mitchell & Ness, and Bleacher Report.
Additionally, exclusive details of the new NBA In-Season Tournament were announced live on ESPN in front of more than 4,200 fans. NBA Con hosted 5 live concert performances by top artists powered by Amazon Music, including 2 Chainz, Toosii, Eslabon Armado, Blxst, Armani White, and DJ E-Rock. NBA Con curated 14 NBA Conversations and 11 live podcasts powered by iHeart Media that included over 75 panelists and podcast guests with content streamed live across NBA Con digital channels.
The live conversations featured athletes, creators, artists and media personalities that shared a stage to discuss a range of topics related to NBA culture and to break news that fans at NBA Con heard first. NBA Con related content created a buzz on social media, generating over 37M views, 1.2M engagements and 47M impressions across all NBA social platforms, and 627K story page views on the NBA app.
Strategy & Execution
NBA Con served as a gathering place for basketball fans to connect around their shared passion for hoop culture. The first-ever NBA Con was a live, interactive fan-centered experience focused on the game beyond the game. Whether created by fans, players, celebrities or artists, hoop love is expressed through fashion, art, music, inspiring a passionate community. NBA Con allowed fans to transcend the boundaries of the court with a variety of exclusive live experiences.
Fans could shoot around, watch open practices, or participate in open runs at The Park, a basketball-centric exhibition with various courts, creating immersive fan experiences. To further enhance the experience, NBA Con featured exclusive, elevated experiences, brand collabs and merch drops that fans couldn’t get anywhere else. Exclusive shoppable NBA Con and NBA product drops highlighted the latest trends in NBA fashion and sneakers for fans, with NBA players showcasing their own unique styles, alongside limited-edition apparel and rare collectibles.
Interactive brand experiences united the worlds of basketball and technology, including augmented and virtual reality games, and more. Appearances and meet-and-greets, gave fans the chance meet NBA players and personalities, including Victor Wembanyama, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl-Anthony Towns, Trae Young, Jerry West, Paolo Banchero, and Scoot Henderson.
Organizations
- NBA
- Emerald Expositions
- Victory Creative Group
- Action Face
- Action Figure Miles
- Arcade1UP
- AT&T
- B2SS
- Bleacher Report
- Bucketsquad
- Champion
- Chance Athletics
- Chris Pyrate & Friends
- CounterPoint
- Cross Colours
- Custom Sevens
- Dapper Labs
- EDGE Sound Research
- Ephemeral Tattoo
- Free & Easy
- G League/Ignite
- Grungy Gentleman
- Handle Fitness
- Hennessy
- Hyperfly x Crunchy Roll
- iHeart Radio
- Jason of Beverly Hills
- Jeff Hamilton
- Manila Mixtape
- MeiGray
- Michelob ULTRA
- Mitchell & Ness
- NBA Lab
- New Era
- nobel
- Panini
- Playa Society
- Pop-A-Shot
- Quint
- RDC
- Reves Paris
- Sony (Playstation)
- Support Black Colleges
- Starry
- T Jass Brand
- The Rad Black Kids
- Todd Patrick
- Unknown Union
- Waraire
Links
Credits
Joseph Graziano
Senior Vice President and Head of Global Event Strategy & Development
National Basketball Association
Steven Lichtenberger
Director of Global Events
National Basketball Association
Kenzi Inman
Director of Global Event Strategy & Development
National Basketball Association
Ron Walden
Senior Vice President for Strategic Partnerships
Emerald
Jason Peskin
Senior Vice President of Xcelerator
Emerald
Jennette Puzzo
Vice President of Events, NBA Con
Emerald
Ed Winkle
Senior Vice President, Head of Commercial Management and Integrated Partnerships
National Basketball Association
Allison Halpin
Vice President, Commercial Integration & Activation Group Lead
National Basketball Association
Hervé Sedky
President and Chief Executive Officer
Emerald
Bob Carney
Senior Vice President, Digital & Social Content
National Basketball Association
Amanda Thorn George
Senior Vice President of Communications - Global Partnerships, Social Impact and International
National Basketball Association
Stuart Bryan
Senior Director of Global Partnerships & Corporate Communications
National Basketball Association
Janine Dugre
Senior Vice President - Creative Services, Brand & Advertising
National Basketball Association
Chloe Del Prete
Director of Merchandising Partnerships
National Basketball Association
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
