Basketball is one of the UK's fastest-growing sports, the
second-most-popular team sport for young people, behind football,
and reaches diverse communities across the country while
promoting the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle. The NBA
is one of the world's most recognisable brands, reaching far and
wide across the UK as demonstrated by the fact that NBA fandom
among adults in the country has increased by 24% since 2022 and
the NBA is the top U.S. sports league among Gen Z in the UK
(YouGov).
In recognition of this, the UK Government and the NBA are
announcing a comprehensive plan to collaborate on a variety of
initiatives to continue to grow basketball and get people active
in the UK:
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The UK Government's commitment to invest £400 million over
the next four years on its Community Sport Facilities
Programme includes £5 million in the first year for
basketball and basketball-led multi-sport facilities in
England. This is a new approach for the UK Government,
investing beyond football-led grassroots facilities under
this programme for the first time.
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This new dedicated funding for basketball will unlock a
planned £5 million of investment from the NBA into grassroots
development and fan engagement programmes through 2028,
expanding the NBA's existing programming that reaches more
than 50,000 youth across the UK annually.
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The joint investment coincides with the NBA playing
regular-season games in London in January 2026 and in
Manchester in 2027, which will mark the first NBA games in
the UK since 2019 and the league's first regular-season game
ever in Manchester - could generate over £100 million in
economic impact for the UK. The two sides will explore the
possibility of additional games in the UK in the future.
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As discussed in a meeting between NBA Commissioner Adam
Silver and UK Prime Minister MP in July 2025, the two
sides will work together on investment opportunities around
the NBA's exploration of a new professional league in Europe
given the project's potential to further elevate basketball
in London, Manchester and across the UK.
This plan will ensure that the close sporting and cultural ties
between the UK and U.S, which basketball and the NBA have helped
develop, have a growing socio-economic impact throughout the
country. The UK Government and the NBA will collaborate to
support the transformation of grassroots basketball and multi-use
courts in the UK, creating more opportunities for
under-represented demographics such as women and girls, people
with disabilities, and ethnic minority communities, to play the
game. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) funding
will also ensure facilities can provide opportunities to play
other sports to ensure as many people as possible in England
benefit from this investment.
