NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE x SEASON 25/26

Following a record-breaking 2024/25 season, the National Basketball League (NBL) returned to SPEAK Communications for a second consecutive year to lead its talent and influencer engagement programme, helping build on the league's momentum and contribute to another historic season for Australian basketball.

Working alongside the NBL and The Gifted Group, SPEAK led the league's non-paid talent and creator strategy, managing the highly sought-after Pumped by Reebok courtside programme, talent hosting, creator experiences and season-long influencer engagement. Across the season, we secured and managed hundreds of athletes, celebrities, media personalities, musicians, creators and cultural tastemakers, transforming game attendance into a powerful platform for content creation, advocacy and storytelling.

From Season Launch and NBL Blitz through to HoopsFest, Indigenous Round, Pride Round, Finals and the Championship Series, SPEAK worked as an extension of the NBL's marketing and communications team, identifying and securing talent, managing guest experiences, coordinating content opportunities and ensuring key league moments reached audiences well beyond traditional basketball fans.

A key focus of the programme was positioning the NBL at the centre of culture. Through strategic relationship management and a carefully curated talent mix, the league welcomed Olympic athletes, professional sporting stars, television personalities, creators and influential voices courtside throughout the season, helping generate authentic social content, earned advocacy and ongoing conversation around the competition.

The partnership coincided with another record-breaking year for the NBL, with the league surpassing 1.1 million attendees, delivering 63 sell-out games, recording its highest-ever single game attendance and achieving significant growth across broadcast, digital and social audiences. Throughout the season, SPEAK generated more than 1,100 pieces of content, engaged 257 talent and creators and delivered over $1.7 million in earned media value, helping amplify the league's biggest moments and further cement its position as one of Australia's most culturally relevant sporting properties.

More than a hospitality or influencer programme, the partnership helped transform the NBL into a year-round cultural platform where basketball, entertainment, fashion and community come together.