THE pandemic may have put things on hold, frustrated and depressed a lot of people, and stunted economic growth. But there was simply no stopping the National Basketball Association (NBA) when it came to how Filipino fans bought into all things basketball—and all things NBA.
The global league in fact celebrated 2020-21 as a landmark season in the Philippines. It experienced continued growth with its TV viewership and social media consumption, and more. The significant growth comes at a most auspicious time. The NBA is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2021-22, and the milestone is already being heralded as “NBA 75.” As it did when it turned 50, 75 of the greatest NBA players in history will be unveiled this coming season.
How did Filipinos lap up NBA goodies in the season just passed? Let’s take TV viewership first.
The NBA Christmas Day game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks on TV5 drew the largest average audience “across all measured international markets” that carried the 2020 Christmas Day games. This more than tripled the 2019 Christmas Day audience in the Philippines.
The most watched game was Game 6 of the Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns with 4.6 million viewers watching the Bucks win their first NBA title in 50 years.
The Finals reached 8.4 million unique viewers per game in the Philippines—the most of any country outside of the US.
Even the Playoffs which stretched from August till early October 2020 had an audience increase of 21 percent year over year on TV5 and One Sports.
Even the NBA League Pass—that some fans shied away from in the past—increased its subscriptions. Through July 2021, the Philippines ranked No. 2 in League Pass subscribers in the Asia-Pacific region.
On this streaming service, Game 6 of the Lakers-Suns playoffs series and Game 6 of the Bucks-Suns Finals registered the most and second-most unique viewers in the Philippines, respectively.
On social media, the shows posted weekly on NBA’s YouTube Channel (NBA On Fire, Republika Drip and Republika Huddle) that featured all-NBA stuff from localized game recaps and commentaries to basketball culture generated 4.4 million views.
Through July 2021, viewers from the Philippines watched more than 37 million hours of content on the NBA’s YouTube Channel, which represents approximately one-third of the total channel viewership during the season, the most of any country outside of the US.
Followers of the NBA Philippines Facebook page increased 18 percent year-over-year, making it the largest regional NBA Facebook page with more than 4.9 million fans.
Up till August, the NBA’s Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts have about 24 million combined followers from the Philippines. Again, this is the biggest number of followers for any country outside of the US.
The pandemic didn’t stop the NBA from holding its Jr. NBA Philippines program either, albeit in a different format. Two free virtual clinics for boys and girls aged 13 to 17 were held in May and June, with NBA players like Jordan Clarkson and Jalen Green, both of Filipino descent, and Women’s NBA legend Ticha Penicheiro sharing their game.
There were opportunities for NBA personalities like Cole Anthony, Chris Bosh, Clyde Drexler, Robert Horry and Gary Payton to meet-and-greet with employees of NBA partners like AXA, Gatorade, Cignal and Smart.
In July, 20 boys and girls from the Philippines participated in the Jr. NBA Global Championship—Online Asia-Pacific and India Camp—a one-day virtual basketball event for 39 boys and 39 girls from Asia-Pacific and India.
Even the NBA Pick’Em Playoffs Bracket Challenge presented by vivo—a fantasy basketball game that lets participants predict the winners from each NBA Playoffs series and the series scores as well—generated a record 12,022 entries, the most entries submitted from the Philippines ever since the game was launched in 2018.
In short, despite the pandemic, the NBA never slept. In fact, it popped like popcorn. The official online NBA Store in the Philippines—NBAStore.com.ph—is alive and well, delivering product orders to 215 of the 228 cities and provinces in the Philippines.
Filipino talents like Outstanding Jr. NBA All-Star of 2019 Camille Nolasco was selected for the NBA Academy Women’s Virtual Program—an eight week basketball and leadership development program for more than 40 of the top female, 14 to 17 year old prospects from outside the US.
Jalen Green, whose mother is from Ilocos Sur, was drafted second overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2021 Draft, making him the highest-drafted player with Filipino origins. Jordan Clarkson won the Kia NBA Sixth Man Award.
Even our Philippine Basketball Association favorite Jimmy Alapag made NBA news as he worked as assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings in the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League—and they won the title. Alapag is now an assistant coach for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League.
And eight former Jr. NBA All-Stars—Kai Sotto, Kobe Paras, Kiefer Ravena, Thirdy Ravena, RK Ilagan, Aljon Mariano, Aljun Melecio and Kib Montalbo—are making basketball waves in Australia, Japan and the PBA.
“Filipinos are among the most dedicated NBA fans in the world, and their continued engagement across TV, social media and retail has contributed to the league’s incredible growth in the Philippines,” said NBA Asia Managing Director Scott Levy. “As we embark on our 75th Anniversary Season, we look forward to working with our partners to build on this momentum by providing fans in the Philippines with new and exciting ways to experience the NBA through digital innovations and customized content.”