Sports
The NBA Wants Europe – Sports Talk Florida
There are a number of potential problems in having a permanent NBA presence in Europe.
On February 2nd, 1967, there was a challenge to the National Basketball Association’s claim to basketball superiority. The American Basketball Association was created and league organizers sold 10 franchises to investors in Anaheim, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Oakland and Pittsburgh. The ABA folded in 1976 with the NBA taking in four franchises in Denver, in Indianapolis, in San Antonio and in Uniondale, New York. Since 1976, the NBA has ruled basketball. Now the NBA and its ownership group have decided that it is time to explore Europe not just as an off one market but to plant teams on the continent despite the fact there is an established league operating. The NBA is thinking that even though we do take Europe’s best players, we can offer a better product on the continent and that could mean battling the existing league or poaching local teams in places like Madrid, Spain or Greece. In the Basketball Association of America or the NBA’s history, the BAA or NBA took teams from the National Basketball League and the American Basketball League in the late 1940s. The NBA could establish a permanent presence in Europe very quickly.
“We are looking very closely to see if there’s an opportunity to professionalize the game to another level here, to create a larger commercial opportunity,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “And not just because commercial opportunity suggests you can grow revenue, but because we believe that with markets, if you can create proper incentives, you can get significant additional investment. And ultimately, that’s the way to grow the game at all levels.” According to the Spanish news agency Relevo, there has been some communication between the NBA and Madrid owners to gauge the Madrid ownerships’ interest in joining the NBA. There is a long way to go and politicians might have a say in the process but the NBA wants Europe.
Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191
Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
Real Madrid is a successful Euroleague team.