NBA reportedly in ‘serious conversation’ with FIBA for league in Europe to rival EuroLeague

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If there is one thing NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis agree upon, it is that there is a lot more money to be made in Europe from basketball.

“There’s agreement that where we are in terms of the level of interest in basketball in Europe is not commensurate with the commercial activities…” Silver said back in September after Zagklis had spoken to NBA owners. “I think the way all of us see it, it’s not just about a business opportunity… I think for basketball to continue to grow, we need — whether it’s a series of tournaments or a league that is viable.”

Now Zagklis has confirmed that the NBA and FIBA are in a “serious conversation” about starting a new European league, which would likely try to draw top clubs and compete with the existing EuroLeague. Here is what Zagklis said in his year-end news conference, via Joe Varden at The Athletic.

“There is clear interest (by the NBA) and there are ongoing discussions with FIBA,” Zagklis said… “We’ve been having and will continue having discussions with … the company that operates the EuroLeague. It is something that has been on our radar. We tried to bring everyone together. This was not possible. So our job is to continue having serious conversations with our partners at the NBA.”

The EuroLeague works similarly to the way the Champions League (and the Europa League) work for soccer, except that there are 13 permanent members — international powerhouse clubs such as Real Madrid and FC Barcelona — and those clubs are automatically in the EuroLeague every year, with spots open for 13 other clubs to play their way into the tournament. Those 13 permanent members run the EuroLeague itself under a license.

While those groups agreed to extend their EuroLeague licenses — which are up after the 2025-26 season — the teams have not formally signed the deal. It’s not hard to imagine the NBA and FIBA stepping in with their own league, which could provide some financial benefit for teams and poach some (or many) top clubs.

FIBA has wanted to get into club basketball, both for the money but also because of how it expanded Olympic…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-reportedly-serious-conversation-fiba-202900112.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-10 20:29:00

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