Posted on March 5, 2009

Los Lakers, Los Spurs and Other Noche Latina Jerseys

J.E. Skeets, Ball Don’t Lie, March 4, 2009

{snip}

Kicking off the The Association’s third annual Noche Latina event–a program that recognizes the NBA’s fans and players from across Latin America and U.S. Hispanic communities–“Los Kobe” and his Lakers wore celebratory jerseys in their front-running 99-89 win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday.

{snip}

Announced back in February, Noche Latina frenzy is set to take place in eight of the top 10 American Hispanic markets this season (up from four in 2007-08): Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, Chicago, Houston and New York.

{snip}

But here’s a fun twist: Rather than translating the team names literally (“Los Sols,” “Los Espuelas,” what have you), market research has apparently concluded that Spanish-speakers in the U.S. refer to them a little differently. The Miami Heat, for example, is called “El Heat”; the San Antonio Spurs are “Los Spurs.” I’ll have to take their word for it.

{snip}