Through a discussion with a friend about the NBA’s nascent interest in promoting basketball across the globe, I uncovered the following insights:

1. What makes soccer (football) so universally popular? Sure there’s the network effect; it’s what all your friends and family watch. But it’s also the sport with the lowest input costs—probably by a significant margin. All you really need is a ball. Whatever’s available around you—the hallway, the tree, the wall—becomes a goal at a moment’s notice. Imagine a group of schoolkids in a developing country trying to play a pickup game of hockey or lacrosse.
2. Basketball has pretty low input costs, too. And it’s fairly adaptable to different formats, such as one-on-one, or playing half court. Baseball can’t really do that. There is the hurdle of needing at least a rim. And, I suppose ideally, a non-grassy space to allow for dribbling (though realistically, games like H-O-R-S-E and Knockout won’t require this).

I say the NBA should develop an outreach program along the following lines:

1. Develop the cheapest possible rim. My guess is that this would be a simple metal ring that could adhere to a brick wall. Maybe a backboard could be a similarly-adhered piece of paper/advertisement. Put these everywhere for awareness.
2. Get basketballs in the hands of youths. Or, perhaps, develop a soccer ball that’s colored or stitched to look or feel more like  a basketball. Basketballs are typically heavier than soccer balls and probably not suitable to be kicked around. It’s fine to maintain soccer ball standards for weight and density. My guess is that youths in developing countries aren’t really concerned about whether their sports ball adheres to NBA/Spalding standards. The goal is to simply open youths’ minds up to alternative uses for their sporting ball, and likewise, alternative interests and aspirations to growing up to be the next Lionel Messi.