In recent years, the NBA has grown from an American platform to a worldwide platform. NBA Italy, NBA France, and NBA Mexico are all byproducts of this growth. However, this growth requires hard work from so many individuals in different countries. One of these talented individuals is Pi’erre Haessik.
Pi’erre grew up in France during a time when the NBA was not worldwide and not easily accessible. His efforts to make the NBA an accessible platform in Europe acted as a catalyst for his career and opened doors for various professional opportunities and growth.
Pi’erre works as a digital creator for NBA Europe, as well as having a career as a photographer and director. His talent and outstanding work ethic have led him to opportunities such as working with Tony Parker, Viktor Wembanana, and other professional talents.
Pi’erre Haessik's journey exemplifies the NBA's global growth, and shows how his efforts have not only expanded its reach but also opened doors for his own career opportunities.
You have accomplished so much at such a young age and started making strides in your career very young how did you lay the foundation for your career and how did you get to the point you are currently?
I have three older brothers, and growing up, they were very much into basketball, which somewhat sparked my love and interest in basketball.
Growing up in France, the NBA was something that wasn't easily accessible; it was hard to reach. There was no NBA Germany or NBA Italy or NBA France like there is now.
So when I was in middle school, I created a Twitter account called NBA France, and it became pretty popular. It went from 10 to 15,000 followers in a matter of 6-7 months. I was doing that in my bedroom and in between classes. I would ride the bus to school and then find results, interviews, and other NBA content, posting it on that Twitter to keep the people in France updated, because again, the NBA wasn't easily accessible.
In 2016, the account that I had made was taken down. After that, I created and relaunched a new account on Twitter, and a week or two later, the NBA created an official NBA France Twitter account. They were finally beginning to expand to other parts of the world.
I have always seen the importance of connecting with others, so I really wanted to find and connect with the person who was in charge of the official NBA France account. We got connected through Twitter, and that led to a phone call. We spent probably two hours on the phone just talking and connecting.
Fast forward two months, the guy who was in charge of that official Twitter account was going on vacation and came to me, asking if I could run the account for the two weeks he was away, and I was ready for it. So they hired me for those two weeks.
From there, things started to click for me. I stopped going to school, started my own company, and began working more closely with the NBA and athletes, which resulted in me moving to the US in 2022. Then I started to do photos, videos, and more production-type things, and everything kind of took off from there.
Back In November, The NBA actually reached out to you and asked you to figure out a way to film Victor Webanyama’s games in France. Can you talk about that experience as a whole and how you were able to accomplish that?
The opportunity didn't come overnight. They had to have a level of trust in me. So this happened during my sixth year with the NBA. I was out in LA at the time, so I wasn't able to go to France and film, but I needed to find someone.
We also had to have the film, pictures, and content ready in a matter of seconds. In probably about 90 seconds after the play, we would already have it up on a Google Drive, and from there, the NBA would have it up on all platforms.
It was also crazy because Victor Wembanyama was a newer prospect at the time and playing in France. So you have to factor in the time difference. Those games would be when it was really late at night or early in the morning, depending on if you were on the east or the west coast.
It was a lot of work, and shoutout to the three guys who helped with everything and made this project possible.
The result was something I could never imagine. It was very well done. We had millions of views on social media. Every outlet was using the highlights, and everyone was talking about Wemby (Victor Wembanyama). It was really successful and a really unique project to be a part of.
Working in sports, especially with the NBA and various professional teams and athletes, can be challenging. There are late nights and long hours, and many factors come into play, especially in your career. How do you stay optimistic and overcome these obstacles?
It's very simple but, honestly, just stay positive. I also have to remind myself that I chose this lifestyle. I work in basketball, and that's a huge blessing and everything I ever wished for.
It's also frustrating when there are issues in the present. For example, when we were shooting Wembanyama's games at some arenas, we were having challenges with the WiFi, and there wasn't much I could do because I was back in the US.
There are situations where it's hard. But at the end of the project, we were happy with the results.
I just have to be confident and remind myself it's temporary, and that we'll find a solution. I've been there, so my goal now is to give back to someone I'm hiring and say to them, "I've been there, so I know it's going to be okay, and we're going to figure it out, and it's going to work out."
You just can't give up. Sometimes you have to make your way back around, come back later, and make it work.
You are able to obtain so many incredible opportunities and have accomplished so many great things. What advice would you give to someone who wants to have a career similar to yours?
The main thing that you have to work on is your network. It's the only thing that's going to get you to the next person and will get you to the next person again. So, to me, the best advice I can give someone is just to connect with everybody.
I was a shy kid when I was growing up, so it was definitely hard to just go to someone and ask if we can connect. So it was hard for me to make connections at first, but it's so important.
Everything that I've done is through connections. When you know a lot of people, not only does it help you, but it also allows you to help others as well. When you know a lot of people, you can help a lot of people, and it's so important to help others and give back.
