Twitter's Effect on NBA Media

Every June, several million NBA fans tune into the draft on ESPN. The massive amounts of speculation that build up in the weeks prior lead up to the moment when the commissioner announces the pick of each team. In recent years however, committed fans have known the draft order before it happens in real time. This is due to the scoop reporting of Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, who has effectively posted the picks of teams sometimes 15 minutes before they are announced in the past few years. Wojnarowski, who has nearly a million followers on Twitter, has been at the forefront of the NBA's media moving it's most important platform to social media.

Fans have been able to get information about their favorite teams earlier than even rival teams. This type of real-time reporting has made the operation of NBA teams more transparent than ever. A reporter, such as Wojnarowski, can tweet some type of speculative rumor about a trade, creating a massive social media buzz. Fans will know about the potential deal and analyze its effects before it even officially happens. This method of reporting has made print stories nothing more than a formality, since everything a traditional column could offer is readily available to fans on Twitter.

NBA teams have realized this trend and attempted to capitalize on it. As of 2015, all thirty NBA teams have active Twitter accounts. Teams use social media to not only promote their teams, but also as a means of communicating with fans that was previously not possible. In fact, the Warriors recently hosted a "Social Media Night" in which they used various platforms of social media to involve attending fans and had players wear shooting shirts with their social media handles. Promotions like these suggest that social media and the NBA have become permanently bonded. Fans will continue to gain more access to behind the scenes action instantaneously as the web of the NBA's portion of the Twitter universe grows.