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.jpg) The NBA store at 545 Fifth Avenue | |
| Founded | 1998 |
|---|---|
| Owner | National Basketball Association |
| Website | nbanyc |
The NBA Store is a chain of officially licensed retailers which sell merchandise for the National Basketball Association (NBA). The most prominent of these stores is located in the United States on Fifth Avenue and 45th Street, Manhattan, New York City. There are seven other locations outside the United States: one in Sydney, Australia and Melbourne, Australia, Milan, Italy, two in Beijing, China, one in Taipei, Taiwan, London, England and three in South Africa and the Metro Manila.
The New York location is run by online retailer Fanatics, who also runs the League's online store at NBAStore.com. The NBA Store sells over 35,000 pieces of NBA merchandise[1] and features several attractions. It is often visited by players, celebrities, and political leaders. It also serves as a headquarters for the NBA where the association hosts charity events.
Since opening its first store in 1998, the NBA has seen increasing business opportunities in foreign markets mainly due to the influx of new international players. The biggest growth has been in China, where players Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, combined with the interest generated by the 2008 Summer Olympics, created enough demand to open two new stores. The NBA has also expanded into games like Second Life where it created a virtual NBA Store in 2007.
The original Fifth Avenue store closed on February 13, 2011. The league temporarily relocated the store in a smaller space at 590 Fifth Avenue until August 2015. The new location, at 545 Fifth Avenue, opened on December 21, 2015.[1]
- ^ a b Rovell, Darren (21 December 2015). "Fanatics, NBA open new 25K-square-foot store on Fifth Avenue". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved 11 February 2016.