It was less than an hour left for sunset in Villa-Lobos Park when a blue balloon raised flight in front of local courts. Inside him, a fan who had hit the 60 -point mark in throwing tried to hit the giant basket placed 20 meters high. If it converted, it would win one of the five trips to watch a NBA on -site game in the United States, or five gift cards to spend on the official store.
The first part of the race is held within the 5,000m² area that houses the NBA House. 45 days ago, the place was just a spotted space inside the park.
I entered around 4:20 pm on Friday 13, game day 4 between OKC and Pacers. Until 6pm, I would provide you with NBA enthusiasts and lovers a theme worthy of a theme park dedicated to basketball in the best Disney style.
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The one developed by the Portuguese startup Hoopers organizes queues, agendas, polls, content and access to activations. An essential technology to meet the demand for a structure that works with 600 people allocated on game days.
Brands, media and data at the center of the experience
NBA Brazil has 13 global sponsors, and nine other locations – the second largest number in the world, without considering the United States. Five of these were at the house: Sadia, Hellmann’s, TNT, XP and Sportingbet. Budweisser, Hennessy and ESPN (media partner) enter the international quota.
At that time, the space gathered about 600 people, mostly children and families. Among them, a group of 110 young people from Sorocaba (SP), taken by former player Rafael Baby. Draffed in 2004 for Toronto Raptors, he today directs a school in the city.
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At the sound of a lot of hip-hop, R&B and Pop Ballet remixes led by DJ PH, the audience surrenders to an arena atmosphere to practice throws, visit and buy at the mega shop installed and take a picture with the Larry O’Brien trophy.
From 19h, the environment changes. Superfan, influencers, sport celebrities like Fernando Diniz and the young star arrive. Game Nights faithfully replicates the experience of an arena with the presentation of the Kings Sacrament Cheerleaders, Denver Nuggets mascot, big screen, beer and OKC victory.
That night, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s role acting in the final three minutes ensured the tie and extension of the series. And that also ensured another game night to show why the NBA found in Brazil its best stage outside the US.
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Between that Friday and Monday, about 15,000 people experienced the promotion of a radical fanstrism: an approach that places fandom at the center of decisions and mixing basketball, lifestyle, pop culture and indistinguishable trade.
Brazilian model, global scale
After three weeks, NBA House came to an end yesterday. The result? A case that will be replicated soon in Mexico, France, Canada, Abu Dhabi, with a crucial detail: the model was designed in Brazil.
After drafts during the London Olympic Games (2012), Rio (2016) and the Spain Basketball World (2014), the Brazilian House defined a unique format, aligned with the expectations of the New York office and supported by national brands.
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And the model allows controlled tests:
“We do everything based on research and data. The brand only comes in if it’s relevant to the fan. The same goes for content,” explains Fabio Laudisio, NBA’s global vice president for Latin America
Sadia, for example, marketed more than ten tons of food during the three weeks of the event.
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The most consumed were the whole pizzas (with variations of pepperoni, four cheeses and chicken with curd), followed by hot dogs and the hot bowl, with breaded chicken strips and chips. Crocantudos Bowls – which mix nuggets, breaded and fried – exhausted in all versions, with the models of the Lakers, Heat and Bulls among the first to end.
A, in turn, has managed to turn the middle of the year into a new sales seasonality with the league teams inspired. Today, she is the leader of the category.
The main turn, however, happened behind the scenes. In 2025, it was no longer the agency that only operates the event to becoming a partner of the NBA House product next to NBA Brazil.
“This partnership in the business marks a turning on the model and a market turn, which better understands the concept of Sportainment. We have a year of sport transformation as entertainment, and NBA House is an example of this, alongside Kings League and Formula 1,” says Bernardo Dinardi, CEO and founder of TM1.
According to Dinardi, conversations for the next edition have started two months ago, reinforcing early 12 months planning. The model should be expanded with new brands and reinforce what it considers essential: not losing the curve of experience, which is the main focus.
The tune with the NBA discourse and the inclination to Fancentrism are well adjusted among the new partners.
“We follow rites and league patterns, with full care to the fan experience. House has a media and structural look for everything to work for him.”
In the end, it is a virtuous cycle. Most of the event revenue – between 70% and 80% – comes from sponsorship. While sales in the installed store is equivalent to several months of operation of one of the 33 NBA Store spread across the country.
I asked Laudisio if NBA House acts as a brand anchor or as an innovation and experience laboratory. For him, the event fulfills both functions in a complementary way, and is a centerpiece to support the two pillars of local strategy: live experiences and relevant content production, with standard and league quality.
In its constant search for deepening the connection with the fan, NBA Brazil makes House – the League’s main event in Latin America, along with the games in Mexico – a central pillar of this relationship strategy.
From curiosity to the superfan: how the base transforms
Today, the Brazilian base is made up of 53 million declared fans. Of these, 40% to 45% are classified as superfan.
Exponential growth – seven years ago it was 23 million – was also accompanied by decentralization. The southeast fell from 70% to less than 50% of the base. Today there are strong nuclei in the South and Northeast. Of the 33 stores, nine of them are in these places: Recife, Fortaleza, Balneário Camboriú, Porto Alegre (2), Gramado, Curitiba and Londrina.
“The fan starts as curious. The goal is to make him become a fan core. One of the products for this audience, the web series NBA on the roadit was created by this fan, ”says Laudisio.
In this context, NBA House fulfills strategic role within an experimentation ecosystem. Expands revenue, engagement, distributes content and accelerates conversion. Even in a scenario where the marketing funnel itself is in check.
Like the British podcast Unofficial Partnerperhaps the challenge today is not going down the funnel, but navigating between the points of influence. The fan’s journey is no longer linear.
Recent study published by Boston Consulting Group proposes a new model: Maps of influence. Instead of predictable sequences, simultaneous behaviors such as streaming, scroll, search and purchase shape the relationship with brands.
In this map, NBA Brasil is very well positioned: your fan watches, consumes, shares and engaging at the same time.
A strategic asset in the global expansion plan
Today, the Brazilian franchise positions the country in the top 5 of the NBA global market, with emphasis on digital engagement, an indispensable front for international league expansion.
Recent data from show that the NBA generated $ 4.5 million per day on average with presence on social networks. And, according to, it is the second league with the most international engagement among US sports franchises, behind only MLS.
Amid the internationalization process of the NBA, Brazil is no longer just a promising market to establish itself as a strategic asset in the overall league gear. NBA HOUSE is a central part of this movement: it converts attention to data, activates marks with measurable return and serves as a physical contact point within a digital-first strategy.
By integrating experience, content and commerce, the Brazilian model delivers tangible and replicable value. And it shows that outside the US will depend less on the exhibition guaranteed by the $ 76 billion media, and more the ability to turn fans into economic assets.
