Today the National Basketball Association and the Women’s National Basketball Association announced their support for Los Angeles’ bid for the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. LA 2024’s bid leaders promised to draw on the NBA and WNBA’s expertise in state-of-the-art sport presentation to grow Olympic and Paralympic sport in the US and worldwide.
With revenue expected to cross the $8 billion threshold for the 2016-17 season, the NBA is a leader in the marketing, presentation and promotion of its live sporting events, the quality of which LA 2024 has pledged to produce at the 2024 Games. The WNBA is at the cutting edge of digital sport entertainment as the first women’s professional sports league to stream their games through Twitter. LA 2024 will also use digital entertainment to creatively extend the reach of women’s sports, especially to the world’s youth.
Leveraging California's expertise at the intersection of new media, technology and Hollywood storytelling, LA 2024 plans to tap into the NBA and WNBA’s ready-made connection with global youth audiences to engage a new generation of Olympic and Paralympic fans.
NBA players began participating in the Summer Olympic Games in 1992 and the sport’s popularity both at home and abroad has grown tremendously since. Basketball’s growth is an example of how the Games can increase a sport’s popularity in global markets, including the US $250 billion sports market.
Los Angeles is home to two NBA teams, the Clippers and Lakers, as well as the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, which all play at STAPLES Center, LA 2024's proposed site of the Olympic Basketball and Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball competitions in 2024. STAPLES is the only arena that hosts two NBA teams.
A record number of 46 NBA players competed in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, including 12 on the gold medal winning Team USA. The US Women’s National Team took home their sixth straight gold medal in Rio.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, "The NBA is proud to support Los Angeles' bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games. We have had two NBA teams in Los Angeles for nearly 50 years, a WNBA team for 21 years and beginning next season two Development League teams. LA is truly an epicenter of global basketball.
"Basketball has been an Olympic sport for more than 80 years, but it was in 1992 when the Dream Team inspired a new generation of fans and future NBA players. What better way to bring the Games into a new era and once again inspire the next generation of Olympians and Para-Olympians than showcasing them in a city that embodies creativity, entertainment and sports."
WNBA President Lisa Borders said, "LA 2024's bid to host the Olympics represents what is truly great about sports – they bring everyone together and inspire young people to dream of what is possible. With its unrivaled mix of imagination and innovation, Los Angeles – the home of the defending WNBA champion Sparks – is the right city at the right time to bring the spirit of the Olympic Movement to a new generation and empower every little girl and boy around the world to dream big and believe that they belong."
LA 2024 Chairman Casey Wasserman said, "LA 2024 is honored to earn the support of two of the world's leading and visionary professional sport leagues. The NBA and WNBA’s proven expertise in state-of-the-art sports presentation tailored for global audiences is the type of creativity that LA can bring to the 2024 Games. LA 2024 is focused on the future of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements and we aim to help all sports federations grow and succeed in America’s $250 billion sports market and around the world. Tapping into our city's youth culture, LA 2024 would also increase sports participation among America’s 100 million young people and many more around the world."
For more information visit LA24.org.
LA 2024 can also be found on the following social media channels:
Twitter.com/LA2024
Facebook.com/LA2024
Instagram.com/LA2024
YouTube.com/LA2024
Snapchat.com/add/la2024
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