If you're an avid NBA fan, then odds are you frequently see multiple teams in March wear jerseys that read "Los Lakers" or "El Heat". Sometimes, you'll even see a jersey that reads "Nueva York."

Have you ever wondered why they're wearing that?

The NBA celebrates Noche Latina annually every month in March to reach out to their large Hispanic fan base as part of their "Noches Éne-Bé-A" Hispanic marketing platform. Saskia Sorrosa, the NBA vice president of marketing, has led the way for NBA brand strategy, event promotion and advertising efforts toward Hispanics and international segments.

Sorrosa was kind enough to answer 10 questions about Noches éne•bé•a with Latin Post.

1. Can you give a little history about Noches éne•bé•a?

"We began doing large Hispanic marketing back in 1995 when we opened an office in Miami, Florida in efforts to reach the Hispanic and Latin American market. In 2000, we were the first professional sports league to sign a deal with a Spanish language network, which was Telemundo at the time. A few years later, we made a deal with ESPN Deportes."

2. And what exactly did you find out?

"In 2008, we revisited our platform and strategy. We found out a couple of things. One, the bulk of our fans were bicultural, bilingual, and our strategy up until that point had primarily been a language play. We missed the mark focusing on NBA Espanyol initially. The second thing was Hispanic fans like to be recognized, but they don't like to be singled out. The final thing we found was that Hispanics referred to the NBA as 'Éne-Bé-A.' We branded everything Éne-Bé-A, including our website, social media pages, and we reworked how we talked to the consumer with our content."

3. How did you use your research marketing data?

"Our research showed that many of our Hispanic viewers like to watch the game in English but still read about the game in Spanish. We use our websites, including social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, to connect with fans. We wanted to give back to our Latino fans who contribute so much to the game they love by celebrating Noche Latina in March. We chose March because, although Hispanic Heritage Month is September through October, it makes the most sense with our season schedule. It's right after the All-Star break, and before the playoffs so there's no conflict."

4. The uniforms are a big part of Noche Latina and its marketing plan, correct?

"Something else we wanted to do was engage fans with the game today. So, we went back to the market. We looked at the research and listened to the consumers to see what they wanted to see because we wanted to engage the fans with the uniforms in some way. We found out that Hispanic basketball fans hated the idea of the 'Miami Fuegos' or 'San Antonio Espuelas' because that's not ever how they refer to the team(s). However, 'Los Lakers' and 'El Heat' is widely accepted among in the Hispanic community when speaking among fans, friends or family."

5. How is the NBA reaching out to Hispanic basketball fans?

"In addition to the uniforms and the shooting shirts for fans we also have arena celebrations so all the teams can celebrate Latin culture in the month of March. We have nationally broadcast games, as well as a lot of media and content that supports our program. In the beginning, we had just four teams that wore the Latino game jerseys, and now we're at eight. Every single team in the league wears the shooting shirts."

6. How has the reception been with the jerseys among fans?

"Our fans love it. They look forward to it every year. In fact, we've done surveys in the past regarding whether or not we should take it away and our fans are very hopeful it returns. It helps them connect to the league. It's also interesting because we've found that not just our Hispanic fans embrace it, but all of our fans embrace it. You go to NBA games and you'll see Asian-American and African-American fans wearing the jersey embracing the program showing that all of our fans embrace it."

7. How are you reaching out Latino NBA fans digitally, some who are outside the U.S.?

"We work with ESPN Deportes to broadcast our games in Spanish. Digitally speaking, we have a partnership with Univision.com. Fans can simply click simply click on the NBA tab in the sports section on Univision.com, and they'll see the same enebea.com page and content as they would if they typed in enebea.com.

8. How popular is the NBA within the Hispanic community today?

"Very much. In fact, we've seen our numbers increase dramatically ever since we launched the enebea platform. Since the launch of our campaign the growth within the Hispanic fan base has outgrown the Hispanic population in the U.S. by 34 percent. So there's no doubt, since the launch, we've seen a huge increase among the Hispanic fan base."

9. What has the league learned about Latinos in trying to reach out to them since the launch of the program? Are there any patterns they follow, things that attract them?

"Our research has shown that Hispanic fans are fans of the game first and foremost. The same things that attract other fans attract Hispanics as well such as the teams, the rosters, and the franchise the history, but we also see a deep connection with the Latino fans and the Latino players because they feel represented by them on the court. We use these Latino players as our role models and emotional connectors to connect with the Latino fans. Really, they're just fans of the game who look towards the NBA like any other fan first."

10. Where do you see the NBA's popularity among Latinos in the next 10 years?

"I see our business continuing to grow. Over the last six to seven years, we've seen huge growth in the Hispanic market. The growth within the Hispanic fan base has been higher than the non-Hispanic fan base. The Hispanic population in the U.S. is supposed to triple in the next couple of years, and we hope that is also reflective on the growth of our business and our connection with the fans."