In the days immediately following the NBA’s indefinite suspension of play, the league’s social media feeds reflected a new normal. Gone were clips of Lakers star LeBron James finishing powerful dunks and Bucks' star Giannis Antetokounmpo going coast-to-coast after hauling in opposing misses. Instead, and in its place, were videos featuring players from different backgrounds and of varying skill-levels, all talking about the coronavirus.
Of North America’s four major men’s sports leagues, the NBA has by far the biggest following online. On Instagram, it has nearly 47 million followers, 30 million more than the NFL, 40 million more than MLB and 42 million more than the NHL.