FIBA celebrates second edition of World Basketball Day

FIBA, the world basketball governing body is, on Saturday 21 December, observing the second-ever World Basketball Day by celebrating the popularity of the sport and its participants.

Some 12 months after the inaugural World Basketball Day, FIBA is thrilled to announce the number of people who play regularly worldwide.

More than 610 million people between the age of six and 54 years play basketball at least twice a month around the globe.

China alone has over 200 million people participating and is one of the top three markets in the world, along with India and USA.

Meanwhile, driven by the runaway success and legacy of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, the event co-hosts Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines are all in the top 10 markets in terms of basketball participation following the showpiece tournament. In the Philippines, close to a third of the population plays basketball regularly.

These numbers were confirmed in the 2023 GSB (Global Sports Barometer-TM) from CSM Media Research-KantarSport Asia, which covered 32 global markets and included 65 percent of the world's population.

The eye-catching levels of participation sit alongside a landmark consumer study by the renowned Nielsen Sports, which confirmed there are more than 3.3 billion basketball fans globally between the ages of 16 and 69.

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The study also concluded that almost 3 out of 4 people were interested in basketball in the researched territories, making basketball the second most popular sport globally after football.

"We are thrilled to be able to answer a question that has intrigued many over the years. It's exciting to witness the impressive number of people around the world playing basketball regularly," stated FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis.

"This second World Basketball Day is not only about celebrating how our sport is growing in popularity but also how it impacts people's lives and their communities in such a positive way. From those playing and watching basketball at the grassroots level, to the elite players that grace our sport's most high-profile and prestigious tournaments, as well as the countless fans that follow with so much excitement, World Basketball Day really is for absolutely everyone.

Whatever our backgrounds, our shared passion for basketball unites us and serves as a powerful force for good. This is why we take great pride in celebrating World Basketball Day on December 21 and I encourage everyone, players and fans alike, to pick up a ball today and join us on this special day."

In 2023, basketball became the first team sport to receive the prestigious honor of having a day allocated after a landmark resolution was passed at a plenary meeting of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

The establishment of World Basketball Day followed the conclusion of the most-followed-ever FIBA Basketball World Cup, upon an initiative of the Philippines, which was a host country both in the Group Phase and in the Final Round.

Fittingly, December 21 is the day it was invented by Dr. James Naismith way back in 1891 when the very first game of basketball famously took place in Springfield, Massachusetts.

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By FIBA