Southeast Asia has emerged as one of the NBA’s fastest growing markets for fan engagement, making the region a hotbed for player development and business expansion.
A little over a week after the New York Knicks stormed into lower Manhattan to celebrate their historic 2026 Championship victory over the San Antonio Spurs, the NBA has set its sights on ambition: Southeast Asia.
The decision to combine both the Rising Stars Invitational tournament – where high school teams from all over Asia showcase their skills, the best players are invited to the upcoming NBA development camps – and the investor conference that will be held in Singapore was not a mistake.
Southeast Asia has emerged as one of the NBA’s fastest growing markets for fan engagement, making the region a hotbed for player development and business expansion.
According to the agency, basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines with participation growing in many other countries, with fans in the region increasing by 15% in a three-year period through Q1 2026.
Southeast Asia has emerged as one of the NBA’s fastest growing markets for fan engagement, making the region a hotbed for player development and business expansion.
Digital consumption is also increasing. Video views across NBA Asia’s social media platforms are up 88% year over year, according to data provided by the league to CNBC. The number of fans on the league’s regional social networks almost doubled for the 2025-26 season.
In an interview with CNBC’s JP Ong, vice president of the NBA of Southeast Asia, Sheila Rasu, emphasized the loyalty of the region’s fan base. “Basketball is probably the fastest growing sport in Southeast Asia,” said Rasu. “In Singapore, it’s probably the most played team sport in the country. In Indonesia, there’s a growing number of kids taking up basketball. So we feel that basketball is really having a moment, not just with boys, but with girls.”
The league is also renewing its focus on the region with its NBA Launchpad program, which announced a strategic expansion to Asia this week. The program, which started in 2021, is designed to discover and test emerging technologies that impact sports.
Since the program’s inception, the NBA has championed everything from sleep technology startups to a data analytics company that puts a sensor on a basketball valve to track speed and acceleration.
Launchpad, said Rasu, “is our way to participate in shaping the game, and a way to improve the fan experience. We identify small like-minded companies that can really help us develop the game.”
Former NBA champion Jeremy Lin, the first Asian American to win basketball’s top award, was also watching the game in Singapore. Lin, who played nine seasons in the league, moved sports viewers across Asia as the so-called “Linsanity” exploded in 2012.
Lin, who was part of the Toronto Raptors that won the 2019 NBA championship, told CNBC’s Emily Tan that he is excited about the game’s prospects in Asia.
“The NBA is an amazing brand, it has a lot of value. I want to continue to give back to the game, give back to the NBA and build basketball, especially in Asia, where I have roots,” he said.
Asia is by no means a new destination for the NBA. The league’s relationship with China, for example, dates back to the 1970s, but that relationship was put to the test in 2019 after then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey expressed support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
The comments caused controversy in the country, with national broadcasters suspending NBA broadcasts and many Chinese sponsors cutting ties with the league.
The NBA began rebuilding its presence in Greater China last year, returning to the region for the first time in six years. With support from Alibaba Brooklyn Nets founder and owner Joe Tsai, the Nets and the Phoenix Suns played two preseason games at The Venetian Arena in Macau in 2025, marking an important step in the league’s efforts to reconnect with Chinese fans. The NBA will return to Macau in October with preseason games between the Dallas Mavericks and the Rockets.
