Graduate - MBA Intern

Location: New York, USA

WORK OPTION: The NBA currently provides eligible employees the option of working remotely one day per week.

_________________

Position Summary

The 2027 NBA Summer Internship is a 10-week program that runs from June 7 – August 13, 2027. The program gives participants the opportunity to learn about the business of basketball, develop critical career skills, and contribute to meaningful projects across a range of departments in the NBA and its affiliate leagues (WNBA & G League). In addition to on-the-job experience, interns are invited to participate in a broad array of professional development programming as well as community and social experiences.

Interns should reflect excellent academic standing and have strong written and verbal communication skills. Additionally, we look for candidates who possess leadership skills as demonstrated through relevant extracurricular or community activities.

More information on the Summer Internship program experience can be found here.

Role Overview

Selected interns will have the opportunity to work across a broad range of business initiatives, investment opportunities, and partnerships providing analytical, strategic, and operational support. This is a unique opportunity where interns will experience the exciting intersection of sports, media, technology, and entertainment.

Past interns have worked across a range of departments, including:

Corporate Strategy, which is responsible for developing the NBA’s long-term strategy and advancing key league-wide initiatives. The group, in partnership with senior leadership, defines strategic priorities, objectives and performance metrics to guide operations, capital allocation and investment decisions. Corporate Strategy also leads the evaluation and execution of high-impact, cross-functional projects focused on pursuing new growth opportunities, improving business performance and supporting the continued development of the NBA and its affiliated leagues.

Global Partnerships, which develops and manages marketing and merchandising partnerships with some of the world’s most recognizable brands. The group works closely with these partners to leverage our commercial assets (including league and team marks, marketing rights, game imagery, brand integrations, and league events and experiences) to drive storytelling and connections with fans of the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and USA Basketball.

Team Marketing & Business Operations (TMBO), which is a unique in-house consulting group within the NBA league office that strives to drive best practices and innovation across all of the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League teams. The focus of this fast-paced and collaborative department is on all aspects of business operations, including ticket sales and service, partnerships, marketing and digital.

These roles require interns to demonstrate a foundational mastery of AI technologies in driving project execution and achieving business objectives.

Major Responsibilities

May include, but not limited to

Completing market research on startups, venture capital, business opportunities, and latest content technologies

Developing a comprehensive database of various startups' key metrics and market insights, including capturing insights of our current portfolio companies, to help us make investment decisions

Developing innovation initiatives on emerging technologies related to the live game product and fan experience of our game

Discovering target companies in our priority areas and conducting extensive due diligence on potential investment

Identifying gaps and guardrails for new partners by reviewing contracts, one-sheets, and existing decks

Identifying case studies and other best practice tools for partnership strategy and activation departments

Maintaining a consistent value-based relationship with all client groups as a proactive and responsive business partner

Providing guidance and analytical rigor on existing business partnerships to senior internal & external stakeholders

Required Education & Professional Experience

Enrolled in MBA or other graduate-level programs

Experience in Business, Finance, Marketing, Risk Management, or Strategy

Preferred Skills & Knowledge Attributes

Ability to multi-task in a dynamic, fast-paced environment

Proactive self-starter with independent working habits

Strong analytical and modeling skills

Highly collaborative

Strong interest in sports media, venture capital space, technology, etc.

Ability to present findings in a concise but meaningful way

Strong interpersonal skills to work with portfolio and internal/external parties

Salary Range

$35/hr

Job Posting Title

Summer Intern

Employees and/or eligible dependents may be eligible to participate in the following Company sponsored employee benefit programs: medical; short-term disability; mental health coaching/therapy; and sick time.

Eligibility Note: Not all positions are eligible for these benefits; eligibility may vary by role.

We Consider Applicants For All Positions On The Basis Of Merit, Qualifications And Business Needs, And Without Regard To Race, Color, National Origin, Religion, Sex, Gender Identity, Age, Disability, Alienage Or Citizenship Status, Ancestry, Marital Status, Creed, Genetic Predisposition Or Carrier Status, Sexual Orientation, Veteran Status, Familial Status, Status As A Victim Of Domestic Violence Or Any Other Status Or Characteristic Protected By Applicable Federal, State, Or Local Law.

About the NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in more than 50 language