Basketball: The Cultural Phenomenon

Though I grew up in a classic American household, one with parents shouting at television sets and annual watch-parties every Superbowl Sunday, I was never one for broadcasted sports. This is not a novel trend among my generation. In fact, recent studies have continued to show an overall decline in sports interest among Gen Z. Somehow, though, the NBA manages to hold onto its appeal for the young.

Excited Spurs fans celebrate Bexar County voters' approval of prop B on Tuesday, meaning the San Antonio team will be getting a new downtown arena. Photographed by Sam Owens of San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved from expressnews.com.

The dwindling popularity of cable TV during the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the NBA saw its lowest television viewership numbers in three decades, but the league remains the most in-demand on digital media platforms with American Gen Z-ers. Following COVID, specifically "in the spring of 2022, the NBA's TikTok registered a 305% increase in video views compared to the previous year. On Instagram, views of American basketball reels increased by 259%. In the 2022-23 season, NBA social media accounts totaled 32 billion views," and, in terms of social media followers, half are under the age of 25. Even on YouTube, the NBA was the first professional sports league to surpass 20 million followers, and today on Instagram, the NBA has nearly three times the following of the NFL (González).

But basketball's cultural reach extends beyond the numbers. This sharp rise in popularity with young people caught my personal attention as I've seen the effects play out in real life with dinner discussions about NBA news in my own home. This brought me to question: What drives basketball's appeal for young people, and why does it seem to be the most culturally influential sport for my generation worldwide?

The NBA captivates audiences internationally as marketing efforts in China have contributed to making basketball the nation's most popular sport (HROne Team).

Basketball was invented at the twilight of the 19th century when Dr. James Naismith of the YMCA International Training School was seeking an indoor game that could be played by his college-aged students during the winter months which also left out the violence of sports like American football and wrestling (KUSports Staff). While the sport has received international attention since its conception, its humble origins began in the United States. In 1949, the struggling Basketball League of America merged with the National Basketball League to form the NBA, putting teams and personalities from both organizations under one name. This era saw the NBA's first of many superstars, George Mikan, capture the media's attention, subsequently catapulting the sport into the spotlight.

Dr. James Naismith stands on the campus of the International YMCA Training School, the original equipment used to play basketball in hand. Retrieved from thesciencesurvey.com.

It wasn't until the 1960s, however, that the NBA truly started to capitalize on this newfound interest by using TV to reach audiences. During the 60s and 70s, as basketball was nationally televised, players like Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar simultaneously engaged with the Civil Rights Movement and anti-war campaigns, embedding the sport within relevant social issues and making the NBA a platform for such discourse.

Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics (left) pictured at the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington where Martin Luther-King jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. In 2011, Russell was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his activism by then-President Barack Obama. Retrieved from dailymail.co.uk.

The 1980s brought about the game's golden age with transcendent rivalries between teams like the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, big personalities such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and the steady globalization of the sport into the early 90s. The inclusion of diverse, non-American athletes like Hakeem Olajuwon and Dirk Nowitzki, compounded with the 1992 success of the "Dream Team" in the Barcelona Olympics, meant that the NBA was going worldwide in a completely novel way (USAHistoryTimeline).

A poster of the 1992 Olympic "Dream Team" consisting of, from left to right, Chris Mullin, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Michael Jordon, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Larry Bird, and Scottie Pippen. Not pictured are players Clyde Drexler and Christian Laettner. Retrieved from beckett.com.

With the rise in overseas interest leading into the late 90s and early 2000s, NBA athletes were pedestaled to foreign and local stages alike. Players like Michael Jordan, for example, utilized these opportunities to brand themselves. Jordan's collaboration with Nike in launching the culturally iconic sneakers, Air Jordans, set the precedent for NBA personalities to become major fashion and advertising influencers, and it directly tied the NBA to consumer culture. More recently, Russell Westbrook and Dwayne Wade have appeared in designer clothing, garnering the attention of social media. These player partnerships with tyrants of fashion and athleisure like Puma, Adidas, and Nike have continued to cement basketballers' presences off the court (USAHistoryTimeline).

A newspaper ad for the 1985 release of the Nike Air Jordan 1. Retrieved from @goodbirger on Threads.

But NBA players are more than fashion icons, also holding relevance in music and film. Michael Jordan and LeBron James' monumental appearances in the "Space Jam" duology, the late Kobe Bryant's Oscar-winning animated short "Dear Basketball,", and Ray Allen's role in Spike Lee's "He Got Game" further interwound the league with pop-culture. Additionally, huge artists like Drake, Nelly, Meek Mill, Ye, and Lil Wayne have frequently referenced NBA players and games in their music, bringing basketball to new audiences (Baker). Drake, a global sponsor for the Toronto Raptors, has even been known to make courtside appearances during games (USAHistoryTimeline).

Drake providing commentary for the Raptors during a 2021 pre-season game. Retrieved from billboard.com.

Beyond the music, fashion, and TV glamour, however, there's another driving force to the NBA's boosts to popularity in more recent years. This can largely be attributed to the NBA's strategic use of social media, a medium where other sports leagues seem to be lagging behind. The NBA has noticeably adapted to changing patterns in sports consumption better than its counterparts, appealing to watchers who are more likely to engage with highlight clips than full-length games. In fact, American football is steadily but surely losing its lead in popularity with 18–24-year-olds in the U.S., basketball taking its place (Richter).

Kyrie Irving of the NBA (right) appears on a livestream with popular Twitch influencer and YouTuber Kai Cenat (left). Retrieved from superstarbasketball.org.

Social media is a particularly powerful tool for its ability to reach wider audiences than ever before possible, and this is something the NBA has used to its benefit. According to Keiran Davies of the Wolfstone Group, "basketball is now the world's 2nd most profitable sport's league, with 70% of its social media followers based outside the US." Considering the younger generation's propensity toward social media, it's unsurprising that the sport's online endeavors primarily align with that age group.

With a new digital age of virtual courtside seats, NBA players' locker room lives, Devin Booker and Ben Simmons' Twitch streaming, Wemby's Paris-to-San Antonio travel series, and LaMelo's infamous association with the Skrilla song, "Doot Doot (6 7)", the NBA continues to become an integral part of young adult and teen culture.

The original TikTok edit of LaMelo Ball to Skrilla's "Doot Doot (6 7)" by @madebyhezi on TikTok.

This phenomenon isn't the result of a single factor. Instead, this "new" visibility can be attributed to the NBA's incredible ability to make hard pivots when necessary as well as their carefully crafted, well-poised marketing that has been in the works for decades. Will basketball overtake football as America's favorite pastime as we usher in newer generations? Will it potentially overtake soccer, cricket, and tennis worldwide as the NBA marketing strategies expand and adapt to maintain relevance? It's possible that basketball has already achieved these feats considering that the sport, unlike any other, is beyond television viewership, and therefore its fanbase immeasurable.

So, the next time you're watching a highlight reel from your favorite team's most recent game, wearing a pair of shoes that were designed in collaboration with a major baller, or rapping to lyrics that idolize basketball icons, take a moment to revel in the fact that you're simultaneously participating in a cultural upheaval that is the culmination of over 100 years of basketball influence.

Works Cited:

Anderson, Nicholas. “Basketball Gone Global: The Rapid Expansion of the Classic American Sport.” The Science Survey, 18 Jan. 2023, thesciencesurvey.com/sports/2023/01/18/basketball-gone-global-the-rapid-expansion-of-the-classic-american-sport/.

Baker, Sherdell. “16 Rap Songs Inspired by Basketball: Featuring Songs by Kanye West & More.” REVOLT, 4 Sept. 2024, www.revolt.tv/article/16-rap-lyrics-about-basketball.

Davies, Keiran. “The Globalization and Localization of the NBA.” Wolfestone Group USA, 17 Jan. 2025, wolfestonegroup.com/insights/blogs/the-globalization-and-localization-of-the-nba.

González, Álvaro. “The Romance between the NBA and Younger Generations.” Barça Innovation Hub, 7 Dec. 2023, barcainnovationhub.fcbarcelona.com/blog/nba-generation-z-appeal-social-media/.

HoopSocial. “The Swish Effect: NBA Players’ Influence on Pop Culture and Entertainment.” Hoop-Social.com, 23 Aug. 2023, hoop-social.com/the-swish-effect-nba-players-influence-on-pop-culture-and-entertainment/.

HROne Team. “The Ultimate Guide: What Are the Most Popular Sports in China? | HROne.” HROne: China EOR, PEO, Payroll Outsourcing, Payroll SaaS, 26 Mar. 2025, hrone.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-what-are-the-most-popular-sports-in-china/.

KU Sports Staff. “KU Sports.” KU Sports, 14 Mar. 2023, www2.kusports.com/news/2023/mar/14/the-secret-behind-basketballs-popularity-in-the-us/.

Richter, Felix. “Infographic: Fan Appeal: Could Basketball Kick Football off Its Throne?” Statista Daily Data, 7 Feb. 2023, www.statista.com/chart/30777/popularity-of-basketball-and-football-in-the-united-states/.

USA History Timeline. “Impact of the NBA on American Culture.” Usahistorytimeline.com, 2025, www.usahistorytimeline.com/pages/impact-of-the-nba-on-american-culture-73b41821.php.