The NBA is giving content creators even greater access to All-Star weekend this year.
A year after MrBeast took over the All-Star game for a staged half-court shooting contest, the league is inviting more than 200 creators to Los Angeles to amplify the weekend’s hoops festivities.
The list includes top stars like Jesser, Druski, and Lethal Shooter, as well as more niche creators like Ty Jackson and Bionic Brooks. Some, according to Variety, will not be paid, instead accepting the invitation for greater exposure at the NBA’s annual showcase.
As with other events such as the NFL Draft, leagues are bringing content creators to major sports moments to engage younger fans directly in the action and build a connection between their audiences and pro sports. By streaming from the event or posting photos and videos from behind the scenes, creators give their communities the type of content they are used to seeing, only in this case straight from the biggest NBA celebration on the calendar.
Basketball content is incredibly popular online. Between trick shots, dunks, and street ball games, creators rack up millions of views on basketball-related content. The NBA is bigger than nearly any other sports league online already, but is clearly trying to tap into the popularity of non-professional hoops as well.
However, integrating creators is a high-wire act. NBC is broadcasting the All-Star game for the first time under its new broadcast agreement with the NBA. The network will want to add its own flair to the game and monetize its own audience.
The NBC audience likely does not want creators to infringe on the game or the All-Star Saturday Night experience, especially given how much the NBA has already watered it down in recent years. A USA vs. World tournament of mini games is already strange enough without Jesser jumping in.
Similarly, young viewers of Jesser’s content probably wouldn’t care about sitting down for a Dunk Contest.
But with this new All-Star creator crossover, the NBA is going further than perhaps any sports league to try to bridge this gap.