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#Sports
How the NBA Went Global
The (Inter)National Basketball Association
Updated: 2023.01.26
4 min read · Intermediate
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How the NBA Went Global

The NBA MVP award, the Association’s most prestigious [1] individual award, hasn’t been won by an American-born player since 2018. In the 2022 season, four of the top six players are from Greece (Giannis Antetokounmpo), Cameroon (Joel Embiid), Serbia (Nikola Jokić), and Slovenia (Luka Dončić). On opening night for the 2022-23 season, there were 120 international players from 40 countries on NBA rosters. USA Basketball isn’t even the best in the world, according to FIBA, basketball’s international governing body: Spain is.

Though the international community has cemented [2] itself atop the basketball world only in the past decade, its roots run far deeper. The first international NBA game occurred in Israel in 1978, where the defending champion Washington Bullets lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Then, in the 1980s, the NBA was elevated by a migration of foreign-born superstars like Hakeem Olajuwon, Detlef Schrempf, and Kiki VanDeWeghe. Then, in 1992, the world was introduced to the full might of American basketball with the Dream Team, the US’s indomitable Olympic roster that won each game by an average of 44 points.

Basketball’s international explosion can be attributed to [3] former NBA Commissioner David Stern, who signed the league’s first international TV deals in the 1980s. Stern, a veteran of the NBA’s corporate side, saw the potential of the NBA outside national borders. He capitalized on the marketability of his stars, like Michael Jordan, who gave young players everywhere a role model to admire. Under his tutelage [4], the NBA also invested heavily in basketball infrastructure, namely Basketball without Borders, which gives international prospects a pathway toward recruitment.

Then, foreign-born players who made it to the NBA, like China’s Yao Ming and Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki, legitimized basketball in other countries. The Association’s growing popularity led to over 200 TV deals and games held in Mexico City, Mexico, Paris, France, and Tokyo, Japan, just to name a few. Also, in 2019, the NBA launched its first league outside North America, establishing the Basketball Africa League with the International Basketball Federation.

The NBA’s marketing division must also receive praise, as it uploads numerous NBA videos to YouTube every day and uses social media to expand its reach. They offer various streaming options, like NBA LeaguePass, to increase its accessibility worldwide. Then, in the offseason, international players often return to their countries of origin to play for their national teams and host basketball camps, ensuring that the NBA’s presence is year-round.

Football (the American version) is America’s game; everyone knows that. Not only is it the most popular sport among Americans, but it doesn’t have deep roots elsewhere, though there are American football leagues around the world. The same used to be true of basketball; however, that’s now far from the case.

NBA가 글로벌 스포츠가 되기까지

NBA(전미농구협회)의 가장 권위 있는 개인상인 NBA MVP. 이 상은 2018년 이후 미국 태생의 선수가 수상한 적이 없습니다. 2022년 시즌을 보면 상위 6명 선수 중 4명이 그리스(야니스 아데토쿤보), 카메룬(조엘 엠비드), 세르비아(니콜라 요키치) 그리고 슬로베니아(루카 돈치치) 출신입니다. 2022-23 시즌 개막일 밤, NBA 선수명단에는 40개국 출신 120명의 외국 선수들이 있었습니다. 농구의 국제 행정기구인 국제농구연맹(FIBA)에 따르면 미국은 세계 최고의 농구 리그가 아닙니다. 최고는, 스페인입니다.

국제적인 농구인들이 농구계 최정상에 자리를 굳힌 것은 겨우 지난 10년 동안의 얘기에 불과하지만, 그 뿌리는 훨씬 더 깊습니다. 최초의 국제 NBA 경기는 1978년 이스라엘에서 열렸고 챔피언 자리를 지키려던 워싱턴 불리츠는 마카비 텔아비브팀에게 패했습니다. 그후 1980년대에 NBA는 하킴 올라주원, 데틀레프 슈렘프, 키키 밴더웨이와 같은 외국 태생의 슈퍼스타들의 이입에 힘입어 한층 격상되었습니다. 그리고 1992년 매 경기마다 평균 44점 차로 승리를 거둔 무적의 미국 올림픽 선수팀인 “드림팀”과 함께 미국 농구는 그 놀라운 위력을 전세계에 선보였습니다.

농구가 세계적으로 폭발적인 인기를 모으게 된 것은 1980년대 처음으로 리그의 국제 TV 계약에 서명한 전 NBA 커미셔너 데이비드 스턴 덕분이라고 볼 수 있습니다. NBA 사업 개발 부문에서 베테랑이었던 스턴은 미국 국경 밖에서 NBA의 잠재력을 보았습니다. 그는 전세계 어디서나 젊은 선수들에게 존경받는 롤모델인 마이클 조던과 같은 스타들의 시장성을 적극 이용했습니다. 그의 지도 하에 NBA는 또한 농구 인프라, 즉 해외 유망주들에게 채용의 길을 제공하는 “국경없는 농구”에 막대한 투자를 했습니다.

그리고 중국의 야오밍이나 독일의 더크 노비츠키처럼 NBA에 진출한 외국 선수들은 다른 나라들에서 농구 게임을 합법화했습니다. 계속 늘어나는 NBA의 인기는 200개가 넘는 TV계약과 멕시코의 멕시코 시티, 프랑스의 파리, 일본의 도쿄 등에서 벌어지는 경기들로 이어졌습니다. 또한 2019년에 NBA는 국제농구연맹과 협력해서 북미지역 밖 최초의 리그인 “아프리카 리그"를 시작했습니다.

NBA의 마케팅 부서 역시 매일 수많은 NBA 영상을 유튜브에 올리고 소셜미디어를 활용해 더 널리 손을 뻗치고 있다는 점에서 칭찬을 받을 만합니다. 그들은 전세계에서 NBA 접근성을 높이기 위해 “NBA 리그 패스”(*일종의 다시보기 서비스)와 같은 다양한 스트리밍 서비스를 제공합니다. 그리고 오프시즌 동안에는 외국 선수들은 종종 출신 나라로 돌아가 자기 나라의 국가대표팀에서 뛰고 농구캠프를 주최함으로써 NBA의 존재감이 일년 내내 지속되도록 합니다.

미식축구는 미국의 게임이고 누구나 그렇다는 것을 알고 있습니다. 하지만 그것은 미국인들 사이에서 가장 인기 있는 스포츠일 뿐만 아니라, 다른 나라에서는 깊은 뿌리를 가지고 있지 않습니다. 세계 여러 곳에 미식축구 리그가 있기는 해도 말입니다. 예전에는 농구도 그랬습니다. 하지만 지금은 완전히 달라졌습니다.

Discussion Questions
Q1
In your own words, please briefly summarize the article.
여러분의 언어로 교재를 간단히 요약해 주세요.
Q2
What are your general thoughts on the NBA’s global expansion?
NBA의 글로벌 확장에 대해 어떻게 생각하시나요?
Q3
What methods do you think helped basketball go international?
농구가 세계로 진출하는 데 어떤 방법이 도움이 되었다고 생각하시나요?
Q4
Who’s your favorite basketball player? Are they American- or foreign-born?
가장 좋아하는 농구 선수는 누구인가요? 미국 태생인가요 아니면 외국 태생인가요?
Q5
What is your favorite sport? Is it popular around the world?
가장 좋아하는 스포츠는 무엇인가요? 전 세계적으로 인기가 있나요?
Q6
What factors help a sport become global, rather than just popular in one or a few countries?
스포츠가 한 국가 또는 몇몇 국가에서만 인기가 있는 것이 아니라 전 세계적으로 인기를 얻는 데 도움이 되는 요인은 무엇인가요?
Q7
If you could sit down and have a meal with one basketball player, who would it be and why?
농구 선수 한 명과 함께 식사를 할 수 있다면 누구와 왜 식사를 하고 싶으신가요?
Q8
If you have a question or questions that you'd like to discuss during your class, please write them down.
궁금한 점이 있거나 수업 중에 얘기해 보고 싶은 질문이 있으면 적어주세요.
Expressions
prestigious
inspiring respect and admiration; having high status
Ví dụ
1

The professor received the most prestigious award for their research.

Ví dụ
2

She graduated with full honors from a prestigious university.

(to) cement
settle or establish firmly
Ví dụ
1

These customs were cemented in this company decades ago.

Ví dụ
2

The two sides are expected to cement an agreement and officially end their feud.

attribute to
regard something as being caused by (someone or something)
Ví dụ
1

The company’s success can be attributed to its founder, who spent 40 years growing it from a small business to Fortune 500.

Ví dụ
2

She attributed the team’s success to its new manager.

tutelage
instruction; protection of or authority over someone or something
Ví dụ
1

The lessons he learned under the tutelage of his mentor were invaluable.

Ví dụ
2

Under my tutelage, I will turn this company’s finances around.

본 교재는 당사 편집진이 제작하는 링글의 자산으로 저작권법에 의해 보호됩니다. 링글 플랫폼 외에서 자료를 활용하시는 경우 당사와 사전 협의가 필요합니다.

The NBA MVP award, the Association’s most prestigious [1] individual award, hasn’t been won by an American-born player since 2018. In the 2022 season, four of the top six players are from Greece (Giannis Antetokounmpo), Cameroon (Joel Embiid), Serbia (Nikola Jokić), and Slovenia (Luka Dončić). On opening night for the 2022-23 season, there were 120 international players from 40 countries on NBA rosters. USA Basketball isn’t even the best in the world, according to FIBA, basketball’s international governing body: Spain is.

Though the international community has cemented [2] itself atop the basketball world only in the past decade, its roots run far deeper. The first international NBA game occurred in Israel in 1978, where the defending champion Washington Bullets lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Then, in the 1980s, the NBA was elevated by a migration of foreign-born superstars like Hakeem Olajuwon, Detlef Schrempf, and Kiki VanDeWeghe. Then, in 1992, the world was introduced to the full might of American basketball with the Dream Team, the US’s indomitable Olympic roster that won each game by an average of 44 points.

Basketball’s international explosion can be attributed to [3] former NBA Commissioner David Stern, who signed the league’s first international TV deals in the 1980s. Stern, a veteran of the NBA’s corporate side, saw the potential of the NBA outside national borders. He capitalized on the marketability of his stars, like Michael Jordan, who gave young players everywhere a role model to admire. Under his tutelage [4], the NBA also invested heavily in basketball infrastructure, namely Basketball without Borders, which gives international prospects a pathway toward recruitment.

Then, foreign-born players who made it to the NBA, like China’s Yao Ming and Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki, legitimized basketball in other countries. The Association’s growing popularity led to over 200 TV deals and games held in Mexico City, Mexico, Paris, France, and Tokyo, Japan, just to name a few. Also, in 2019, the NBA launched its first league outside North America, establishing the Basketball Africa League with the International Basketball Federation.

The NBA’s marketing division must also receive praise, as it uploads numerous NBA videos to YouTube every day and uses social media to expand its reach. They offer various streaming options, like NBA LeaguePass, to increase its accessibility worldwide. Then, in the offseason, international players often return to their countries of origin to play for their national teams and host basketball camps, ensuring that the NBA’s presence is year-round.

Football (the American version) is America’s game; everyone knows that. Not only is it the most popular sport among Americans, but it doesn’t have deep roots elsewhere, though there are American football leagues around the world. The same used to be true of basketball; however, that’s now far from the case.

*This material is designed for the exclusive use of Ringle students on the Ringle platform.