NBA Warns Teams Not To Announce Draft Picks On Twitter

By Eric Fisher, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Stern Warns Teams To Not Disclose Draft Picks On Twitter Before Official Announcement

The NBA has notified its teams to not disclose on Twitter picks made in tonight’s Draft before they are announced on stage. The league has traditionally prohibited teams from using any sort of local or club media outlet, particularly digital forums such as an official Web site, from tipping off their selections in advance. A notice recently sent to clubs reminding them of that provision was expanded to include the wildly popular microblogging service. Several picks in the NFL Draft in April were leaked out by clubs to their Twitter followers. The NBA, meanwhile, plans an extensive rollout of social networking-based content for the Draft, focusing primarily on behind-the-scenes content such as candid photos, offbeat interviews with draft selections and other similar material. Extensive sharing of content is also planned between the league’s feeds on Facebook and Twitter and those of the individual teams. “The guiding idea is to use social media and be complementary to what’s happening on ESPN, on NBA.com, and so forth,” said NBA Dir of Marketing Dan Opallo. “We’re not using Twitter, for example, to simply tweet pick by pick. That’s not what this is about for us. We want to supplement that traditional coverage and get into some additional places where fans haven’t been.” NBA.com’s battery of Draft content on the official league site will include player blogs from expected No. 1 pick Blake Griffin along with Tyler Hansbrough and Stephen Curry, an interview with Ricky Rubio, analysis from Univ. of Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl, NBA TV's Steve Smith, and TNT's Kenny Smith, as well as draft pick profiles and highlights and live draft and trade trackers.