Paris Olympics: NBA uniforms conquer the world

Go to an Olympic hockey game in France, see NBA uniforms of all kinds.

Like their American counterparts, global NBA fans are experienced, up to date on all the talk, behind-the-scenes play and prevailing narratives that usually overshadow the real games. The Lille fans ripped Joel Embiid, who chose to play for the United States more than France, for his ideal welcome for his first match action since the finals.

This is, in every conceivable manner, the climax of the NBA's decades-long effort to make its activity a truly global another. From the Avengers-caliber 1992 Dream Team to the constant goodwill tours to the current crop of international stars ( Nikola Jokić, Embiid, Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama ) to the sheer ineffable coolness that transcends borders, the NBA appeals to overseas fans, and the numbers show it.

More than 75 percent of the team's social media followers are from outside the United States, and the NBA is now scheduling big stars in day trip activities to take advantage of those worldwide viewing panels. The evidence is actually in the streets.

The people are noticing, to. " I looked around, I see so many various NBA jerseys in the goes", Durant said in Pierre-Mauroy Stadium after Sunday's win over Serbia. " I just love when we're getting people from all over the earth, various walks of life, together like this".

One final consideration: The NBA's international shirt domination is amazing, but it's not yet complete. Best now, the fans is honest and unironic. How does we know when the NBA triumphs? When foreign fans start sporting stars on their most mysterious teams — Patrick Ewing on the Sonics, Hakeem Olajuwon on the Raptors, Rasheed Wallace on the Hawks— next the NBA will be an invincible international pressure. The last stage of fans is the deep-cut in-joke, and international viewers are well on their approach to getting in on it.