NBA Launches First-Ever Social Media Awards

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The NBA has been embraced as one of the top professional sports leagues using social media in recent years. With official National Basketball Association league and player pages accumulating over 277 million likes and followers on Facebook and Twitter combined, the NBA has decided to celebrate the involvement of players and teams using social media with its first-ever NBA Social Media Awards.

Twelve awards will be handed out on NBA TV June 20, highlighted by the BIG and LOL awards. The Best in Game (BIG) Award will be given to the player who best utilizes social media across all platforms including Facebook and Twitter. The Laugh Out Loud (LOL) Award will go to the team or player with the most shared and liked blooper video of the regular season.

Via social media, NBA fans have created a community that allows them to interact with other fans, hundreds of players, and all of the NBA teams. The NBA Social Media Awards will be no different allowing fans to vote on specific categories such as the Social Slam and Triple Threat Awards.

The show "will capture the passion and influence the entire NBA community demonstrates across a wide array of social media platforms," noted Chrisitna Miller, SVP and GM at NBA Digital in a press statement.

Before the start of the NBA playoffs, Track Social measured social media prowess among the teams. Miami Heat and LA Lakers dominated the chart based on team visibility, audience and engagement. The Heat is the only of the two that remains in the playoff fight.

Yo on @NBATV on june20 I’ll be doing the 1st NBA Social Media Awards.You can vote at nba.com/sma.@rickafox will be there 2

— SHAQ (@SHAQ) June 6, 2012

The Social Slam Award allows fans to vote for their favorite dunk of the regular season and the Triple Threat Award lets them vote for ex-NBA players who have become NBA analysts with high social media relevance. Triple Threat Award nominees include big names such as NBA social media guru Shaquille O'Neal and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. Combined the two have over 10 million followers and likes.

O'Neal, who will also be hosting the show alongside SLAM Magazine's Lang Whitaker, has already begun to promote the awards show through Twitter, telling his followers to vote for their favorite NBA moments of the season.