From national love to decline, what s wrong with the NBA in China?

Once Upon a Glory: NBA's Golden Age in China

In the past period, the NBA's popularity in China has reached an extremely high level, which can be regarded as the golden period of its development. From cities to rural areas, discussions on NBA events have remained high in all sectors of society. During school breaks, students often have a lively discussion about the exciting events of the Lakers the night before; in the workplace, colleagues after get off work will also communicate in the office about another shocking dunk by LeBron James. The NBA's influence penetrates widely in every corner of society. In the basketball shoe market, signature boots named after NBA stars are filled with shelves, such as Kobe's Black Mamba series, James' Warrior series, etc. Many young people save money to buy without hesitation. It seems that wearing these combat boots can improve their football skills. On the basketball court, enthusiasts imitated classic moves such as Allen Iverson's change of direction and Tracy McGrady's pull-up jump shot, while shouting the iconic slogans of NBA stars and immersing themselves in the passion brought by basketball.

NBA games performed outstandingly in terms of TV ratings. During important events such as the Finals and All-Stars, the ratings show a significant upward trend. Data shows that in 2002, Yao Ming’s first NBA game was watched by hundreds of millions of people in China. Many families gathered in front of the TV to witness the first appearance of Chinese players in the NBA arena. In Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers reversed the Golden State Warriors to win the championship while falling behind 1-3. Tencent Sports' online viewers peaked over 10 million, becoming a typical example in the field of live sports events. At that time, CCTV Sports Channel would arrange many NBA events live broadcasts every week. Professional commentators such as Su Qun and Zhang Weiping brought excellent viewing experience to the audience with their excellent commentary skills. In addition to traditional TV media, NBA forums on the Internet are also very popular. Professional forums such as Hupu Sports will update a large number of NBA-related posts every day. Fans here will analyze the game situation in depth and discuss player trading trends, forming a huge NBA fan exchange community.

The prosperity is overwhelming: The current desolate current situation

*However, the glory of the past has gradually become a past. At present, the NBA's popularity in China is far less than that in the past. This change can be seen intuitively from the viewership data. The number of viewers who once had tens of millions of levels has become history. In recent years, the ratings of NBA events have shown a significant decline. Take Tencent Sports as an example. The peak number of viewers of live broadcasts of the finals once reached tens of millions, but now, even in a popular showdown, the number of viewers is difficult to reach half of the past. CCTV Sports Channel now rarely arranges live NBA events. The once fixed NBA live broadcast time period every week has now been replaced by other sports events.

In terms of social platforms, the NBA's discussion is also much hotter than before. Opening the once lively Hupu Sports Forum, the number of new posts about the NBA has decreased significantly, and the popularity of replies is far less than that of the past. In the past, a large number of posts analyzing the game and exploring the performance of players quickly emerged on the forum on game day. Now the frequency of updates and attention of these posts have been greatly reduced. On Weibo, the popularity of NBA-related topics can no longer easily top the hot search list. James' dunk and Curry's ultra-long three-pointer have caused widespread discussion among netizens. Now, it is difficult for similar topics to set off a large-scale discussion craze.

The surrounding markets are also facing difficulties. Sales of signature boots named after NBA stars have dropped sharply in the once crowded basketball shoe stores. In the past, new combat boots were launched, which often caused fans to queue up to buy them, but now few people pay attention to them. Shoe stores have to attract customers through large discounts and promotions. The trendy clothing store officially launched by the NBA has also been severely impacted, with few customer traffic in the store. The once popular Rockets-related products were urgently removed from the shelves after the Morey incident. Even if they resume sales later, it would be difficult to return to their previous best-selling state. Students wearing NBA team uniforms could be seen everywhere on campus, and now such scenes are becoming increasingly rare.

Multi-dimensional analysis of the decline in popularity

What has led to the decline in the popularity of the NBA in the country? There are many complex factors behind this, which intertwined each other and jointly influence the development trend of the NBA in China.

(I) The bad impact of the Morey incident

In October 2019, Morey, then general manager of the Houston Rockets, made inappropriate remarks on social media, which instantly aroused widespread attention and strong response. This behavior seriously hurts the feelings of the Chinese people and arouses the indignation and resolute resistance of all Chinese people. CCTV Sports Channel took the lead in declaring that it would suspend NBA event broadcasts. In the past, the fixed NBA live broadcast periods were replaced by other sports events, causing fans to lose an important way to watch games for free. Many sponsors have also withdrawn their investments, such as Li Ning, a well-known Chinese sports brand, previously cooperated closely with the Rockets. After the incident, they terminated their cooperation immediately and no longer provided sponsorships for Rockets-related activities, which has caused a heavy blow to the NBA's commercial interests in the Chinese market. The public's boycott was extremely high, and a large-scale boycott of NBA activities were launched on the Internet. Many fans spontaneously organized it to call on the public to no longer pay attention to NBA events and no longer buy NBA-related products. According to statistics, within a period of time after the Morey incident, the NBA's commercial revenue in China fell sharply, with losses of up to hundreds of millions of dollars. Its brand image was seriously damaged in the hearts of Chinese fans. Many fans who once loved the NBA lost their enthusiasm for the NBA because they could not agree with the wrong attitude of the NBA on the issue of principles.

(II) The impact of the local league

In recent years, CBA has achieved remarkable results in the field of commercial operations. By establishing cooperative relationships with many well-known brands, the league's financial investment has increased significantly, laying a solid material foundation for its development. In terms of player introduction strategy, the CBA has successfully attracted many high-level foreign players to join, such as Marshan Brooks, Jeremy Lin, etc. Their joining not only significantly improved the competitive level of the event, but also greatly attracted the attention of the audience and effectively expanded the audience of the event.

At the event promotion level, CBA actively expands publicity channels, and uses diversified media such as social media and live broadcast platforms to increase the exposure of events in all aspects, so that more audiences can understand CBA events. Taking the Guangdong team as an example, under the leadership of core players such as Yi Jianlian and Zhao Rui, the team won the CBA championship many times, winning the warm support of the majority of fans, and the tickets for the game were in short supply.

According to statistics, the average number of viewers in the CBA is increasing year by year, and the ratings are also steadily rising. In the finals of the 2024-2025 season, the ratings reached their peak in recent years. This series of data shows that the CBA is gradually becoming the focus of sports enthusiasts, dispersing the attention originally focused on the NBA to a certain extent, showing strong development momentum and broad market potential.

(III) Diversification of entertainment methods

With the evolution of the times, emerging entertainment forms such as e-sports, short videos, and script killing have emerged rapidly, greatly expanding people's entertainment options and distracting the public's attention. In the field of e-sports, professional leagues such as League of Legends and Kings of Glory have attracted much attention, and the World Finals each year attract hundreds of millions of viewers to watch the game online. Taking the 2023 League of Legends Global Finals as an example, the peak number of viewers in the finals exceeded 10 million. The audience cheered for the team they supported and immersed in the intense and intense e-sports event. On the short video platform, various funny, life and knowledge short videos have emerged in large numbers, and users can easily obtain entertainment and information in fragmented time. For example, on the Douyin platform, some popular short videos can get millions of likes, and users often spend a lot of time inadvertently browsing short videos. Script Kill has attracted many young people with its unique immersive experience. Inviting three or five friends to experience a script kill on the weekend has become a fashionable entertainment trend. The rise of these emerging entertainment methods has made the NBA no longer the only choice for people to entertain, especially the younger generation. They tend to try novel entertainment methods, and their attention to the NBA will naturally decrease.

(IV) Changes in fan structure

In the past period, the post-80s and post-90s formed the main force of the NBA fan group. They grew up with the development of the NBA in China and have deep feelings for the NBA. However, as he grows older, his focus gradually changes in life. Most of the post-80s generations have entered middle age, facing pressure of work promotion and family responsibilities, and need to invest a lot of time and energy in their career and family. The post-90s generation also gradually started a family and started a career. The trivial matters of life made it difficult for them to stay up late to watch NBA games like they used to, and it was also difficult to have a lively discussion on the events on social platforms. The new generation of fans, namely the post-00s and post-10s, have more diverse entertainment methods due to their growth environment, and their interest in the NBA is not as strong as those born in the 1980s and post-1990s. Although the NBA strives to attract young fans by holding youth basketball events and other methods, the results are not significant. The new generation of fans has not been fully supplemented with the fan group, resulting in a gradual decline in the size and activity of the NBA fan group.

(V) The NBA's own problems

From the perspective of game style, the NBA is now showing an increasingly focused on three-point shooting, the intensity of inside confrontation has decreased, and the frequency of position offensive tactics has also gradually decreased. Relevant data show that in recent years, the number of three-point shots in NBA games has increased significantly, and the proportion of the total shots has continued to rise. Take the Golden State Warriors as an example, which often takes more than 40 three-point shots in a single game. This style change has resulted in the reduction of intense physical confrontation scenes in the game, and the exciting tactical cooperation is not as rich as before, which has weakened the viewing of the game to a certain extent. Many senior fans sighed that it is hard to find the unique charm of traditional basketball in the current game. The problem of star fault cannot be ignored. As the older generation of stars such as James and Curry grow older, their competitive state has declined. Although the new generation of stars such as Doncic and Tatum have certain strength, there is still a big gap with their predecessors in terms of game influence and dominance, it is difficult to attract the continuous attention of a large number of fans.

In addition, disputes over referee judgments also occur from time to time. In some key games, the referee's penalty standards have aroused widespread dissatisfaction and doubts among fans, which has had a negative impact on the fans' viewing experience. The combination of the above problems has led to the decline of the attractiveness of NBA events, which in turn has led to the loss of audience members.

Future Outlook: Can the NBA rekindle China's enthusiasm?

Although the NBA is currently facing difficulties in the Chinese market, it is actively taking a series of measures to reverse the situation and re-inspire the enthusiasm of Chinese fans. At the level of star training, the NBA has increased its investment in the training of young players, and potential new stars such as Wenban Yama and Edwards are constantly emerging. As the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Wenban Yama showed strong dominance in her rookie season with her amazing height and outstanding basketball talent, and averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.6 blocks per game. She is regarded as one of the representative figures of the future NBA. Edwards has also gradually grown into a core player in the Minnesota Timberwolves, leading the team to achieve excellent results in the playoffs. The emergence of these new stars is expected to attract more young fans' attention and inject new vitality into the NBA.

In the field of market cooperation, the NBA also continues to make efforts. In 2024, the NBA reached a new broadcast cooperation agreement with Tencent, and the event continued to be live broadcast on the Tencent platform, providing fans with channels to watch the game. At the same time, the NBA actively participated in the China International Import Expo, demonstrating its sustainable development concept with green and environmental protection as the theme; signed a contract with domestic mobile game company Chengdu Lemando Technology Co., Ltd. to develop NBA-themed mobile games, expand IP derivative content, and try to reintegrate into the Chinese market through multi-field cooperation. In October 2025, the NBA will host two preseason games in Macau, China, which is another key move for its return to the Chinese market, marking the NBA's new close interaction with Chinese fans after being neglected by the Chinese market for more than five years.

However, if the NBA wants to reach its peak in the Chinese market, it still faces many challenges. The negative impact caused by the Morey incident still exists. Its brand image in the minds of Chinese fans has been seriously damaged, and a complete repair cannot be completed in a short period of time. The rise of local basketball leagues such as the CBA has become an inevitable trend, and the attention of the NBA will continue to be diverted in the future. Emerging entertainment methods such as e-sports and short videos are also constantly distracting the public. The NBA needs to explore unique appeal in fierce competition to win the favor of the audience again.