The National Basketball Association (NBA) and SOURCE MUSIC Co., Ltd., a label under HYBE Co. Ltd. (HYBE), the industry-leading global entertainment lifestyle company, today announced a multiyear collaboration that will see K-pop sensation LE SSERAFIM headline “Friends of the NBA,” the league’s celebrity and influencer program in Asia to engage fans in new and creative ways.
The collaboration between the league and the five-member girl group will be a celebration of the intersection of sports and music. LE SSERAFIM, an anagram of the words “I’M FEARLESS,” will attend NBA games and events, collaborate on a variety of exclusive content that will be featured on the NBA’s and LE SSERAFIM’s social media channels, participate in league promotional activities, and more. Last month, LE SSERAFIM’s hit single “EASY” earned the group its first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and first Top 10 song on the Billboard Global 200 chart.
“We are so excited to collaborate with the NBA through its ‘Friends of the NBA’ program,” said LE SSERAFIM. “We had a great time watching an NBA game in person last year in LA! We look forward to working together with the league to experience so much more with NBA fans around the world.”
“We’re thrilled to team up with breakout K-pop sensation LE SSERAFIM, a young and dynamic group of NBA fans,” said NBA Chief Marketing Officer Tammy Henault. “Through this collaboration, we look forward to bringing NBA and K-pop fans together in South Korea, across Asia, and around the world and broadening the reach of our game as we celebrate this convergence of music, culture and sports.”
Additionally, the five members of LE SSERAFIM – KIM CHAEWON, MIYAWAKI SAKURA, HUH YUNJIN, NAKAMURA KAZUHA and HONG EUNCHAE – will share their experiences of NBA fandom on social media and encourage fans to follow their individual journeys as an NBA fan. Additional information about the collaboration will be announced at a later date. Fans can visit www.nba.com/LESSERAFIM to sign up to receive news and updates.
Last November, LE SSERAFIM visited the NBA headquarters, NBA Store New York and attended the LA Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers game on November 2. The group joins SUGA of BTS, who was named an NBA Ambassador last April, as the only K-pop artists with a formal affiliation with the NBA.
Launched in 2022, “Friends of the NBA” features celebrities and influencers from across the Asia-Pacific region who participate in NBA games, events and programming. Fans can follow LE SSERAFIM on Weverse.
About LE SSERAFIM
LE SSERAFIM, consisting of members KIM CHAEWON, MIYAWAKI SAKURA, HUH YUNJIN, NAKAMURA KAZUHA, and HONG EUNCHAE, are the first girl group launched by Source Music under HYBE. The fearless quintet made their powerful debut in May 2022 with 1st EP FEARLESS, which topped the iTunes Top Albums chart in 13 countries/regions including Japan, Indonesia, and more, signaling the beginning of their journey to the summit of K-pop as the new queens.
The group soon after made their first entry on the Billboard 200 at No. 14 with 2nd EP ANTIFRAGILE (October 2022 release) and earned their highest position on the chart at No. 6 with 1st studio album UNFORGIVEN (May 2023 release). Following the release of their first English single “Perfect Night”, which peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Global 200, the five-piece act took the stage at BlizzCon® 2023 as the first K-pop group to perform at the convention. The quintet achieved another milestone feat scoring their first career entry into the Billboard Hot 100 at No.99 with “EASY”, the lead single from their 3rd Mini Album EASY released on February 19. As its name—an anagram of ‘IM FEARLESS’—implies, LE SSERAFIM are determined to move forward with unswerving fearlessness in the eyes of the world.
About the NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2023-24 season featured a record 125 international players from 40 countries and territories.? NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass.
The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 2.3 billion likes and followers globally across all leagues, team and player platforms. NBA Cares, the NBA’s global social responsibility platform, partners with renowned community-based organizations around the world to address important social issues in the areas of education, inclusion, youth and family development, and health and wellness.
