An NBA season that began with a lockout culminated last night in triumphant fashion, as perhaps the league’s most visible franchise, the Miami Heat, was crowned champion. The record-breaking viewership for the playoffs came on the heels of an incredibly successful regular season - quite a bounce back from the league’s potential PR nightmare.  

During a recent playoff game, the league gleefully announced that its official Twitter feed had surpassed five million followers. As Mashable notes, that number is significantly higher than the NFL (which dominates basketball in the ratings), MLB or the NHL.

So what makes the NBA’s Twitter feed so successful? I came up with a few reasons, none of which reflects that Twitter’s mascot is based on Celtics legend Larry Bird.

Keep it simple.

Every Twitter feed needs to offer something: a few laughs, deals or coupons, a unique perspective or information about a favorite celebrity. The NBA peddles a mix of offers on its feed, and has figured out a simple and clean presentation. Too often, Twitter feeds are cluttered with unnecessary hashtags and a link in every tweet. After a few minutes of scrolling these busy feeds, our perpetually short attention spans begin to wane. Short and to the point, like the NBA does it, allows readers to value posts without spending too much time deciphering them.

Collaborate.

The NBA’s Twitter promotions are a team effort. During the Slam Dunk contest last year, fans could vote for the best dunk via Twitter. The NBA store sells T-shirts emblazoned with a simple artistic depiction of a player’s Twitter handle, a first in the sports world.

Fans aren’t the only people the NBA engages. The league frequently re-tweets local sportswriters in order to create a sense of community among those that cover the NBA. The league recognizes that it’s this same community that empowers the NBA’s social media with such a broad reach. 

NBA athletes also play a crucial role. Next to international soccer stars, NBA players are the most active athletes on Twitter. They’re paced by former player and current analyst Shaquille O’Neal, with more than five million followers and LeBron James, who has more than 4.5 million followers. The activity of NBA stars coupled with the league’s willingness to re-tweet them fuels the NBA’s social reach.

But more than anything, it’s about their product.

Though the NBA Twitter handle has certain superior practices to the NFL and MLB, it’s not as if the other two leagues are social media illiterates. Twitter and the NBA happen to co-exist because of the product produced on the court. Some teams, like the Celtics, even have their Twitter handle painted right on the court, in plain view of the audience and the television cameras.

The fast-paced action of the NBA demands attention and provides an incredible amount of highlights. Although NFL games routinely last 3+ hours, there are usually less than 12 minutes of actual game play squeezed in. MLB teams average less than five runs per game. Continuous scoring and fast-paced game play allow NBA fans to keep the Twitter conversation free-flowing.

If fans decided to follow a game purely through their Twitter feeds, they would need to refresh much more often for a basketball game than any other sport.

So What?

Ultimately, the NBA is interested in keeping its corporate sponsors and its fans happy. Twitter dominance accomplishes both. Activity drives fans to NBA.com (and subsequently to sponsors' ads on the site) and provides fans with a connection to the sport on national, local and personal levels. The NBA’s Twitter feed can provide a blueprint for any organization looking to connect with a broader audience via social media. Employees don’t need to be famous to craft a successful marketing campaign around them. @NBA is a social media force to be reckoned with. Five million strong. And likely growing.