NBA stars like Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks will be available to Chinese fans in new ways thanks to an expanded partnership between the league and Alibaba announced Wednesday (Patrick Smith)

New York (AFP) – An expanded partnership for NBA China and Alibaba Group announced Wednesday will bring NBA content to Alibaba platforms for the first time and boost online shopping opportunities for Chinese consumers.

The “NBA Section” to be launched across all Alibaba platforms will allow league fans in China to personalize and engage with more NBA content.

NBA game highlights, games from past seasons and original programs will be offered to almost 700 million consumers across Alibaba platforms such as Tmall, Taobao, video-stream platform Youku and browser and content platform UC.

Original programming will cover a basketball and cultural topics such as NBA game predictions, fashion, sneakers and memorabilia.

NBA news and trends will be available throughout the season and playoffs as well as the NBA Finals, including short videos and livestreaming by celebrities.

“The NBA is always looking to innovate and we are absolutely thrilled to expand our partnership with Alibaba,” NBA China chief executive officer Derek Chang said.

“We share the same goal, which is to provide fans with one-of-a-kind online content consumption and shopping that leverages the latest technology.

“We look forward to working with Alibaba to continue to grow the game of basketball in China.”

The NBA Tmall flagship store was launched in 2012.

“With this expanded partnership, we will fully leverage Alibaba’s ecosystem to create a unique digital experience and bring the NBA closer to fans and consumers in China,” said Alibaba Group vice president Toby Xu.

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