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The widespread adoption of streaming services and social media has enhanced online spectators’ interactivity and immersion, yet it may also weaken fans’ willingness to attend games in person. Drawing on event system theory, this study examines how social media marketing activities and team identification influence intention to attend professional basketball games, with social presence serving as a mediating mechanism. Survey data were collected from 564 fans who had never attended a professional basketball game, and the proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling. The results show that social media marketing activities influence attendance intention only indirectly through social presence. In contrast, team identification not only directly predicts attendance intention but also exerts an indirect effect via social presence. Overall, the findings underscore social presence as a pivotal mechanism that converts online stimuli into intentions to attend live events and provide practical guidance for teams’ social community management and fan relationship strategies.