NBA Commissioner Adam Silver continues to drift the concept of taking the league world, and that features constructing one thing totally new in Europe.
Silver made it clear that worldwide development is on the forefront of league growth talks, talking throughout Summer time League in Las Vegas,
“We’d be an impartial league, what we’re considering working in Europe, however the truth that we’d be creating new basketball groups in Europe is expounded [to NBA expansion],” Silver mentioned. “It’s separate however associated to this notion round constructing further organizations within the league.”
That concept would put the NBA head-to-head with the EuroLeague, which has been the continent’s premier basketball competitors for 25 years.
Its CEO, Paulius Motiejunas, is just not shy in regards to the challenges that would observe if the NBA strikes in.
“[The NBA has] a extremely robust picture. They can assist with TV offers. They can assist with sponsorship. We will develop the pie larger if we go and work collectively. That is at all times the identical message… However we now have an enormous fan base. We’ve 25 years of historical past. That is what we mentioned to them. Why not sit down and see how we go and make selections collectively, reasonably than simply creating a brand new league and for them to begin over?…
“This new league would create confusion. It will create division and on easy phrases, you go to the sponsor, and also you say, ‘I’m now this new, you recognize, NBA League.’ After which we go, ‘Nicely, we’re EuroLeague.’”
The EuroLeague operates in another way than soccer’s Champions League. Eleven “A-license” golf equipment, together with Actual Madrid, Barcelona, CSKA Moscow, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Olympiacos, are everlasting members with assured spots every season.
Silver has hinted that the NBA might attempt to carry a few of these golf equipment on board whereas additionally planting new franchises, with Manchester, England among the many rumored markets.
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