In the 1970s, there were fears the NBA might die. Fifty years later, it’s looking to build an entirely new league in Europe.
No less than commissioner Adam Silver said as much in an interview with the Associated Press. And it’s not exactly a new idea. The league has been contemplating an NBA Europe for some time.
“It is not yet clear how far along the NBA is in its planning,” wrote Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “Silver said that the NBA is not in a place where it will ‘transform a league structure in the short term.’ But talks about a league have gone far enough that it has recently been a topic of discussion in European basketball circles. The league has been working with financial firm, The Raine Group, to explore its opportunities in Europe.”
FIBA, the governing body of international basketball, would also be involved, Vorkunov added.
“We certainly haven’t made any definitive decisions,” Silver told the Associated Press. “I continue to believe there’s enormous opportunity here.”
One area in which the NBA would help European teams immensely? You guessed it — media rights. After all, the league just finalized a massive $76 billion deal with ESPN/ABC, NBC and Amazon Prime.
“The NBA could take advantage of what some European basketball executives see as a period of uncertainty,” Vorkunov wrote. “Top European basketball teams do not make as much money as NBA teams or their soccer peers. Some, or potentially most, even lose money, European basketball sources said. European basketball media rights are small compared to other leagues and sports.”
Granted, this seems to be in the incredibly early stages. But it’s out there, and when it comes to pro basketball, the NBA clearly has figured out how to generate tons of revenue.
“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,” one EuroLeague team president said, via Vorkonuv. “There is one brand that has proven they can do that.”
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