The NBA has ramped up talks with FIBA and has considered the idea of launching a new league or annual tournament in Europe, commissioner Adam Silver confirmed in a conversation with Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
While the discussions between the NBA and FIBA aren’t new, Silver referred to them as “much more serious” than they’ve been in the past, according to Reynolds, who notes that the league may feel the time is right to take advantage of the sport’s popularity in Europe. The level of European basketball star power has never been higher than it is right now and the NBA recently finalized a media rights deal that will run through 2036, opening the door for the league office to focus on new endeavors.
“We certainly haven’t made any definitive decisions,” Silver said from the Olympics in France. “I continue to believe there’s enormous opportunity here. It’s not something where we’ll transform a league structure in the short term. But I think that there’s an appetite among our team owners for additional investment in global basketball. We have a huge initiative in China. We have a huge initiative in Africa. Given the quality of the basketball here in Europe, it would seem to make sense that we should be doing something here as well.”
According to Reynolds, Silver said he has no preference on whether to pursue the establishment of a league or a tournament in Europe. For now, he and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum are using their trip overseas as an opportunity to get feedback from FIBA officials, league executives, and other stakeholders about the NBA’s potential options.
“We want to make sure we have a true grasp of the opportunity,” Silver said. “We’ll take the time we need to before we decide to move forward on any initiative.”
As Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic writes, many existing European teams compete separately in domestic and international leagues, so a new international league run by the NBA could give teams across the continent additional options beyond established competitions like the EuroLeague and EuroCup.
According to Vorkunov, many top European basketball clubs lose money or at least don’t turn a significant profit, so there’s a sense that an NBA-run league could provide an “improved economic structure.” However, there’s also concern that the quality of the product could suffer as a result — with no salary cap currently in place in the EuroLeague, some teams are in the red because they’re spending aggressively in pursuit of championships.
“The fear has always been if the NBA comes in, it’s going to be what the NBA is in the States: it’s business and it’s entertainment, and then it’s sports,” one EuroLeague source told Vorkunov.
As Vorkunov observes, the NBA has shown with its Basketball Africa League that it’s capable of effectively organizing and maintaining an international competition that incorporates teams from several countries and operates separately from those teams’ domestic leagues.
“No one was waiting for the NBA to come in but at this point, there’s a certain need to structure the markets and the competitions in a certain way,” a EuroLeague team president said to Vorkunov. “There is one brand that has proven they can do that.”
According to Reynolds, Silver stressed that if the NBA were to launch a league in Europe, the goal wouldn’t be to replace the EuroLeague or other top competitions.
“We certainly don’t want to do damage to the strong bones of the basketball infrastructure that are in place,” Silver said. “On the other hand, in terms of regional and pan-regional competition here in Europe, it would be my sense — and again, I’m still studying — that lots of investors are losing significant amounts of money every year. And while this isn’t just about money, most things that continue to lose money without a trajectory towards profitability ultimately do not survive. And so, whatever we do here, I think it’s important that it’s additive to the European basketball structure.”
I hate Adam Silver.
He use to be so beloved.
Yep, lost the plot long ago.
What plot? This is a commissioner’s job: grow the league and make more money for the owners. That will always put them at odds with what the average fan wants.
Use to atleast try to pretend the nba was about real competition as well as money. Been more changes to the game on silvers watch than in the history of the league, not for the better either. Im the average fan and i think Silver is a tosser. Power hungry, money hungry, tirant. European league run by the nba lol, good luck with that.
i love it
How about an expansion Team in Seattle and Maybe one in LV here at Home. Who cares about over seas !!
Business people…more money in over seas.
People who have studied abroad, made friends overseas, lived and worked in other countries, or even just attended World Championships in some sport or e-sport definitely do care. It’s incredibly humbling, grounding, and exciting to interact with people who grew up and breathe a different culture. It teaches you to view things in a new perspective, and you gain an appreciation for your own self and humanity when you see just how much you have in common, while at the same time having grown up in a different environment.
They could make a separate league like NFL had Europe league…that way it is easy to ignore. Don’t force it on people like this in season tournament.
All we read about are ideas from greedy, arrogant and clueless U.S. executives plus an anonymous quote from “a (sic!) EuroLeague team president”. One imaginary anecdotal guy’s convenient opinion establishes enough credibility, I guess.
No one seems to care what those who are supposed to bankroll this Schnapsidee, the European fans, think. If the disaster that was the NFL Europe as well as U.S. owners’ failed attempts of a closed European “elite” football league have been any indication, the fans yearn for another greed-driven U.S. plastic sports venture like they’d do for a pimple on their rumps.
Yes, some clubs get into financial troubles – because there is relegation and real sports competition. Something U.S. Americans, how grew up with franchise circus leagues and challenger trophies, are unfamiliar with.
Btw., that guy from The Athletic calling European clubs “franchises” exposes him as the clueless rube he is. There are only independent clubs across many leagues on several levels in different countries, but definitely no “franchises”. Certainly, all of Europe was waiting for these types of ignorant “experts”.
That was my term, not Vorkunov’s. Force of habit to use team, club, franchise, organization, etc. interchangeably. Would hate for Europeans to think I’m a clueless rube though, so I’ve adjusted it.
(Edit: Actually, I guess Vorkunov used the term as well in his story.)
He also seems real proud of his work in China. I wonder how many people are enslaved there due to his involvement.
Doesn’t matter too much to me as I stopped watching it a few years ago .
Lol sure.
European men’s basketball is to soccer (football) as the WNBA is to the NBA in the US. Skip it, Silver.
as in growing faster than ever. Gaining popularity in new demographics. And becoming profitable. Sounds like a good thing to look into then, don’t you think?
Expansion at home and abroad is a lot to tackle at once imo. Probably better to focus on the former then revisit the latter in a couple of years. The market will still be there.
The NBA will have the money to throw at ideas like this for the foreseeable future…
If it works or not is a completely different question…
They need a team in Seattle and Mexico City before thinking too far abroad…
I know they’ve wanted a team from London team for a long time, and a European league would be a good way… But they’d need tie in with the already established regional leagues in Europe… They need a reason for local fans to buy in, not ignore it because they already have a local team on a big European stage…