# Elephant Ballers Basketball-Playing Elephants Take Thailand by Storm By Michael Hines | Published 2010-01-25 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/basketball-playing-elephants References: [zuzutop](http://zuzutop.com/2010/01/basketball-playing-elephants/) Have you ever seen basketball-playing elephants before? I didn't think so. There have been soccer playing elephants, polo elephants, but never any basketballin' elephants. Until now. These elephants are from the island of Koh Samui in Thailand. They learned to play basketball in order to keep them healthy and in shape. They've got some serious game, too. If you don't believe me check out the video below. **Implications** - These athletic elephants probably don't need to wish they were taller though, since many of them can easily place the basketballs into [the hoop](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/huupe-mini). Still, it's amazing that someone actually managed to teach the mammal how to shoot from the freethrow line. Now if only that same person can teach Shaq. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.6/10 - Popularity: 14% | Activity: 87% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Pets](https://www.trendhunter.com/pets) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Animal Sports Entertainment:** The rise of basketball-playing elephants opens up opportunities for animal sports entertainment, capturing the interest of a new audience. - **Athletic Animal Training:** The training of elephants to play basketball highlights the potential for athletic animal training programs, offering unique experiences and promoting animal welfare. - **Unique Sports Performances:** The emergence of basketball-playing elephants showcases the demand for unique sports performances, creating new avenues for entertainment and spectator experiences. ### Who This Affects Most - **Tourism and Attractions:** The basketball-playing elephants can serve as a unique attraction in the tourism industry, enticing visitors and boosting revenues. - **Animal Training and Entertainment:** The training and performances of athletic animals like elephants offer lucrative opportunities in the animal training and entertainment industries. - **Sports and Event Management:** The rise of unique sports performances, such as basketball-playing elephants, presents innovative opportunities for sports and event management companies to create memorable experiences. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Interactive Basketball Trackers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/spalding-x-siq.md) - [Intelligent Basketball Hoops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smart-basketball-hoop.md) - [Elephant Teething Gloves](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/moyuum.md) - [Animated Sports Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dunk-the-halls.md) - [Basketball Social Networks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sports-social-network.md) - [Unimagined Basketball Dribbling Machines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dribbletek.md) - [Sci-Fi Show-Themed Basketballs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/spalding-1.md) - [Outdoor Wildlife Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-great-elephant-migration.md) - [Basketball-Shaped Sneakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-baller.md)