What is so special about the NBA?

Image courtesy of pixabay.com

The National Basketball Association (NBA) may not be as watched as much as the NFL or the English Premier League, but the NBA is a fast paced, exhilarating league, that, in years to come, will still be very much enjoyed by millions across the globe. 

The game is followed by fans from the comfort of their own homes with the use of technology as stats are already available on Amazon Alexa, as we mentioned a couple of years ago.  

Other fans may have tuned in to Netflix to watch The Last Dance with the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan, who may have hung up his basketball shoes (did you know that he wore a new pair every game?) but the NBA is still as invigorating as it once was. What other sport sells 95% of its ticket allocation, at around $90, selling out 741 stadiums? And once inside, the atmosphere is exceptional.  

Yes, it has become more commercialised, but that does not detract from the raw talent and skill you see on the court. Whether a player is over 2.20m tall and towering over their opponents, hitting the blocks and getting the rebounds, or under 1.70m dribbling up the court with agility and speed, the NBA has it all.  

The proof is in the pudding that the NBA continues to thrive, as the franchise is currently valued (according to Forbes) at over $1.5 billion and continuing to increase with plenty of sponsors involved in the game. TV audiences are growing too, along with more spotlights in the media. All of this goes back into the sport to drive it forward – not only in terms of facilities and kit, but in the standard of coaching and care the players receive.  

Moreover, NBA fans will go to extreme lengths to follow their star players, from getting the latest jerseys to buying some of the most iconic sneakers such as the Nike Kobe 11 Fade to Black which was worn by Kobe Bryant on his final game of his NBA career. A game in which he scored a mammoth 60 points and elevated the black and gold Kobe 11s from the Black Mamba’s final game to sell for $1,146 on StockX, a price that has more than doubled according to Betway following his death on 26 January. 

Team morale, sportsmanship, and respect are shown on every level in this game. You don’t see the back chat and foul language as you do in so many other professional sports these days. Yes, champions are found and winners celebrated, but unlike NFL or soccer for example, there is more recognition for more players. Each position has at least 3 different MVP winners – not merely celebrating the top scorers, so inclusive to all players taking into account everyone’s different strengths.  

When you watch the NBA, despite what some may think, it isn’t just shooting and hoping for the best, or a one man show. The players are like a well-oiled machine. They are one unit. One Team. There is no one individual who does it all. It is an outstanding display of teamwork, co-operation and mutual respect. Simply adding another reason why the NBA is a joy to watch. As the great Phil Jackson once said “Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the Me of the We. “  

Perhaps that is one of the reasons why these players work so hard and are so dedicated to the winning the game. Of course, it will certainly help that the NBA has always had aspiring leaders and role models to make them be the best version of themselves. Whether that is Jordan, Chamberlain, Jabbar, Kobe or currently, LeBron with 33,655 points, overtaking Kobe Bryant by 12 points to become the NBA’s third highest points scorer. That is why we can conclude that the NBA special and will continue to be one of the greatest leagues to follow for years to come.