NBA is first league to reach 1 million followers on Twitter

NEW YORK -- Today, the NBA became the first professional sports league to eclipse one million followers on Twitter. The official NBA Twitter page (twitter.com/nba) was unveiled in February 2009 and currently ranks as the second highest rated "brand" on Twitter according to trackingtwitter.com.

Out of the tens of millions on Twitter, the NBA is one of roughly 20 other Twitter accounts that have surpassed one million followers.

The NBA Twitter page provides fans with diverse content including tune-in for national games, instant updates on scores, incredible plays, great performances and buzzer-beating shots, video highlights, key stories, NBA facts/trivia, events and exclusive offers to Twitter followers

All 30 NBA teams have an official Twitter page and more than 100 NBA players/legends/coaches are on Twitter. Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal has more than 1.6 million followers, the highest total of any professional athlete on Twitter. The official Los Angeles Lakers Twitter page has accrued nearly 700,000 followers, the highest among all NBA teams.

Most recently, NBA players Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors and Charlie Villanueva of the Detroit Pistons, conducted a race to 50,000 followers.

In a close race, Bosh edged out Villanueva by a few hundred followers.

Villanueva will donate over 3,000 pairs of sneakers to needy children and will star as a character in a Chris Bosh YouTube video.

The NBA has always been a leader in embracing the latest technology to enhance the game experience for fans and continues the trend with its presence on social networks. The NBA has more than 1.2 million fans on Facebook and more than 290 million videos have been viewed on You Tube unveiling in Feb 2007.