NBA to Open New York Flagship

The National Basketball Association (New York) will open a 25,000-square-foot store next week on New York’s Fifth Avenue at 45th Street. The league has operated retail stores in the past, but its previous one (also located on Fifth Avenue) closed four years ago.

The new, three-story store will offer the largest in-store collection of official NBA, WNBA and NBA D-League goods, as well as a variety of in-store exclusives and limited-edition items. The store will include a women’s, children’s and home-goods department.

It will also feature innovative details such as a 32-foot-tall basketball net lit by 31,000 LEDs that can be seen from the street. Other digital integrations include video game kiosks, video screens across the ceiling that display game highlights, and various fan engagement screens where customers can look up information about players or teams, get game updates and buy NBA tickets. The flagship is being touted as the first ominchannel experience for any sports league, reports Women’s Wear Daily.