The NBA this morning launched a fan-appreciation digital media campaign that includes 20 current and former players conducting at least 20 chats on Facebook, Twitter and Weibo. It is the first time the league has used social-media chats as part of its annual fan-appreciation efforts. The chats, which began at 8:30am ET and will run through 10:00pm, will be conducted in nine languages. Current players participating include Lakers G Jeremy Lin and T'Wolves F Andrew Wiggins. Basketball HOFer Isiah Thomas and HOFer-elect Dikembe Mutumbo also will take part in the initiative, which aims to promote Saturday's start of the playoffs. The league last year featured player chats on social media during the NBA Finals. NBA Senior VP/Digital Media Melissa Brenner said, "It is geared at thanking fans and engaging them before the playoffs.” Further digital activation is planned for Saturday, when Snapchat will include that day’s four first-round playoff games as part of its Our Story feature. The league said it will be the first time Snapchat users will be able to access the Our Story feature from multiple locations. The digital efforts come as the NBA reports a 40% increase in followers across its social-media assets this season compared to the '13-14 season. Brenner said the NBA added 240 million digital followers this year for a total of 811 million followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and its Chinese digital platforms, Sina and Tencent.
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