Basketball already has a massive audience on TikTok, and the platform is giving those fans a more direct route from the feed to the game. TikTok, the NBA and WNBA have announced a new multi-year global partnership built around highlights, creator access, live-game discovery and new ways to follow both leagues throughout the season.
The agreement brings NBA and WNBA content deeper into TikTok through GamePlan, the platform’s sports discovery suite. Fans will be able to move from basketball content to dedicated in-app hubs with schedules, official accounts and information on where to watch games.
The numbers behind the partnership are substantial. Nearly half of TikTok’s more than 1 billion users follow basketball, while global interest in the NBA and WNBA on the platform has grown nearly 30% and 15%, respectively, since the beginning of 2026.
The leagues already have a significant built-in audience there. The NBA and WNBA accounts combine for 30 million followers, with fans using TikTok for highlights, commentary, player personalities and conversations unfolding around games in real time.
“This partnership shows how central TikTok has become to the way fans discover and engage with basketball around the world,” says Rollo Goldstaub, TikTok’s Global Head of Sport.
Creators will also get closer to the action. Select TikTok creators will receive access to major NBA and WNBA events, giving them opportunities to capture behind-the-scenes material and content around some of the leagues’ biggest moments.
TikTok GamePlan is a major part of the deal. The feature connects sports content to in-app pages where users can check schedules and find broadcast information, turning the discovery of a highlight or viral moment into a direct path toward watching the full game.
That approach was already tested during the 2026 NBA Finals. TikTok says an in-app Anchor + Detail Page generated 497 million impressions, while an NBA Finals Search Hub drove 426,000 referrals through the league’s Tap to Watch feature.
The partnership also arrives as women increasingly use TikTok to follow sports. According to the platform, 64% of women choosing social platforms for sports content identify TikTok as their go-to destination.
Advertisers will have their own place in the agreement through TikTok Pulse Premiere, while fans will see the partnership take shape across NBA and WNBA content throughout the year.
The rollout includes WNBA All-Star Weekend and will continue through highlights, behind-the-scenes content, creator coverage and official league posts as both basketball communities keep growing on the platform.