Long Island Nets to use Montreal games to promote ‘Les Nets’ ... open new fan base
There was all sorts of speculation when the Nets announced their G League team would play six games in suburban Montreal but the reality was simple: The Nets want to rule the world. So, what’s behind the Brooklyn Nets plan to have its G League team games play six games over three months in suburban Montreal next season?
The answer is pretty simple: The Nets international marketing operation is unrelenting whether in China, France, the Philippines ... or Canada.
So, it’s not about moving to Montreal or relocating the Long Island Nets north of the border either. Sure the NBA might want to gauge whether Montreal is ready for NBA expansion — they’re on the short list — but in Brooklyn, the ambitions are more narrowly focused. They want to rule the world.
The six games — two each in January, February and March — are part of the franchise’s aggressive marketing overseas and over borders. The Nets are looking to build a fanbase in French-speaking Canada.
After announcing the Montreal package Tuesday in what was basically a footnote in its press release announcing the G League schedule, the Nets detailed their plans Wednesday in a second press release.
To “celebrate the local market” of Laval, a Montreal suburb that’s home to the Place Bell arena, the Long Island Nets announced they will play as “Les Nets” an “alternative identity” and have engaged a local partner, Groupe CH, owners of the Montreal Canadians and Rocket Laval, the Canadians farm team, to help with execution. The games will be played at the 10,000 capacity Place Bell in Laval where the Rocket Laval play their home games.
The Nets, both the big club and small one, have been direct about their goal: “engaging with a new fan base” 375 miles north of Brooklyn, “increase the LI Nets exposure in a new market.”
Said Morgan Taylor, Head of Business Operations for the Long Island Nets. “Montreal has a vibrant basketball legacy and this partnership presents a unique opportunity to blend our culture with the Laval community. We look forward to engaging with a new fanbase and creating memorable moments both on and off the court.”
In fact, the Montreal experience is yet another example of how Nets ownership wants the team to be known far and wide. The official NBA estimate of overseas Nets fans is 53.6 million. According to the NBA, they are the most traveled team internationally and:
* Fifth in unique viewers from abroad on NBA League Pass,
• Eighth in NBA App “favorites” and “follows” from outside the U.S.,
• Ninth in Instagram followers from abroad.
If you’re wondering about the relationship between Montreal and Toronto, it should be noted that Montreal is nearly as far from Toronto as it is from New York, 336 miles to 372. Becoming the second most popular team in Canada, after becoming the third most popular team in both China and France, doesn’t seem that much of a stretch.
The Nets also have advantages in the Canadian space. Joe Tsai, the team governor, was born in Taiwan of Chinese heritage but is a Canadian citizen, having lived in Vancouver as child. Jordi Fernandez is head coach of Team Canada ... and Ron Goldenberg, the Nets director of international marketing and architect of their global strategy, is actually from Montreal.
The team also announced on Wednesday that the Long Island Nets will host a basketball clinic for local children in the Laval community in February. The clinic be taught by LI Nets basketball clinicians. If the past is any indicator, you can expect more than that when the games get underway. When the Nets faced the Cavaliers in the NBA’s Paris Game last January, basketball was the centerpiece but not the only attraction. Goldenberg described the depth and breadth of the Nets marketing in Paris to NetsDaily last month.
“We launched a Brooklyn Nets-themed pizzeria that was live the week of the game and we launched an orchestral tribute concert (featuring the music of Brooklyn’s Biggie Smalls) that sold out a 2,000-person iconic venue in the heart of Paris,” Goldenberg told ND. “We worked with Paris San Germain, the iconic soccer club, to drop some merchandise with an iconic Brooklyn-based designer.”
We don’t know what else the Nets have in store but they no doubt will be dropping some merchandise in Laval as well with the “Les Nets” logo. As the Long Island press release notes, the logo ...
[C]ombines authentic elements of the regional culture in Montreal, including taking inspiration from the Quebec National flag. The logo features the integration of the fleur-de-lys and the blue color palette. The shape of the basketball is highlighted and a nod to the Mount Royal cross that sits atop the name. The red color palette featured is a nod to McGill University in Montreal, where James Naismith, the inventor of the game of basketball, taught classes from 1888 to 1890.
Also expect the Nets, with the help of the Canadiens, to gather all sorts of fan data for follow-up promotions, as they’ve done with other international events.
Game dates and opponents are as follows:
•vs. Raptors 905 – Friday, January 24, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. ET
•vs. Raptors 905 – Sunday, January 26, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. ET
•vs. Greensboro Swarm – Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. ET
•vs. Delaware Blue Coats – Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. ET
•vs. Memphis Hustle – Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. ET
•vs. Memphis Hustle – Friday, March 14, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. ET
Tickets for the games played at Place Bell will go on sale in early October and will start at $25, taxes included. To register to receive presale information and updates on the “Les Nets” games, please visit here.
Long Island Nets to play six home games at Place Bell during the 2024-25 NBA G League season - Long Island Nets/Montreal Canadiens
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