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17 September 2025  5 min read

NBA and UK Government announce £10m plan to elevate basketball in the UK 

It features a £10m joint investment to take the game to communities up and down the country with comprehensive plans to get more people active and involved in the sport.

Basketball is one of the UK’s fastest-growing sports, the second-most-popular team sport for young people, behind football, and reaches diverse communities across the country while promoting the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle. 

The NBA is one of the world’s most recognisable brands, reaching far and wide across the UK as demonstrated by the fact that NBA fandom among adults in the country has increased by 24% since 2022 and the NBA is the top U.S. sports league among Gen Z in the UK (YouGov). 

In recognition of this, the UK Government and the NBA are announcing a comprehensive plan to collaborate on a variety of initiatives to continue to grow basketball and get people active in the UK. 

The UK Government’s commitment to invest £400 million over the next four years on its Community Sport Facilities Programme, includes £5 million in the first year for basketball and basketball-led multi-sport facilities in England.

This is a new approach for the UK Government, investing beyond football-led grassroots facilities under this programme for the first time. 

This new dedicated funding for basketball will unlock a planned £5 million of investment from the NBA into grassroots development and fan engagement programmes through 2028, expanding the NBA’s existing programming that reaches more than 50,000 youth players across the UK annually. 

The joint investment coincides with the NBA playing regular-season games in London in January 2026 and in Manchester in 2027, which will mark the first NBA games in the UK since 2019 and the league’s first regular-season game ever in Manchester - and could generate over £100 million in economic impact for the UK. The two sides will explore the possibility of additional games in the UK in the future. 

As discussed in a meeting between NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer MP in July 2025, the two sides will work together on investment opportunities around the NBA’s exploration of a new professional league in Europe given the project’s potential to further elevate basketball in London, Manchester and across the UK. 

This plan will ensure that the close sporting and cultural ties between the UK and U.S, which basketball and the NBA have helped develop, have a growing socio-economic impact throughout the country.  

The UK Government and the NBA will collaborate to support the transformation of grassroots basketball and multi-use courts in the UK, creating more opportunities for under-represented demographics such as women and girls, people with disabilities, and ethnic minority communities, to play the game.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) funding will also ensure facilities can provide opportunities to play other sports to ensure as many people as possible in England benefit from this investment. 

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer MP said:

"Basketball is booming in Britain – and this investment will help take it to the next level, opening up the game to thousands more people right across the country.

"This is about more than sport – it’s about community, inclusion and inspiring the next generation to find their spark.

"I’m proud that the UK is teaming up with one of the world’s most iconic sporting brands to deliver real change for our people and our communities."

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy MP said:

"Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the UK and provides a powerful way to bring communities together and get active. 

"With the NBA’s support, we’ll grow participation and break down barriers so everyone can access this incredible sport, keeping communities healthy and inspiring the next generation,

"With the NBA returning to the UK in January, there’s never been a better time to invest in the sport and turn young peoples’ hoop dreams into reality."

NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum said:

"The UK Government shares our commitment to using basketball to drive socio-economic development and teach the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle. 

"We thank them for their investment in facilities that will provide safe spaces for people of all backgrounds and abilities to learn and play the game, and we look forward to working more closely together in the years to come, including around the potential launch of a new pan-European league that would bring more world-class basketball to fans in the UK."

Today’s announcement was made during a visit by the Culture Secretary to the NBA’s flagship store on Oxford Street. 

Basketball sits behind only football as the second-most popular team sport for young people in England, with 1.15 million playing on a weekly basis, while its diverse reach has seen NBA fandom among UK adults grow by 24% in the last three years alone. 

The collaboration comes as the UK prepares to host regular-season NBA games for the first time since 2019. The matches - in London in January 2026 and Manchester in 2027 - could generate more than £100 million in economic impact to the UK, with both parties committed to exploring additional games in the future.

Beyond basketball, the Government has committed significant investment in both grassroots and elite sport as it delivers the Plan for Change, with the £400 million allocated for new and upgraded grassroots facilities across the UK accompanied by a £500 million investment in major sporting events.