Commissioner Adam Silver says the NBA’s efforts to launch a new league in Europe with the help of the FIBA governing organization are ongoing, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
Given the massive amount of logistics required by leagues on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean to make this dream a reality, Silver warns that nothing is imminent, but that doesn’t mean progress isn’t happening.
“We’re at least a couple years away from launching,” Silver says. “It would be an enormous undertaking. And while we want to move forward at a deliberate pace, we also want to make sure that we’re consulting with all the appropriate stakeholders, meaning the existing league, its teams, European players, media companies, marketing partners.”
The goal is for the new league to feature 16 teams, and Silver said that the NBA has been in touch with the EuroLeague and specific teams within it for partnerships. Silver says there’s a desire for some amount of collaboration with the existing league, and that the 2028 Olympics will be a good measuring stick for progress.
“That might be a good launching pad for an announcement around a new competition,” he teased. But, in the end, patience is going to be the most important thing. “There’s a lot of work to be done.”
We have more from around the world of hoops:
- As someone with a wealth of experience in both the NBA and EuroLeague, Pau Gasol is intrigued by the idea of the NBA expanding into Europe, writes the Eurohoops team. Like Silver, he understands it’ll be a lengthy process, but expressed cautious excitement about what such a collaboration could offer. “I see an initiative to improve the European basketball model, and it’s an opportunity for our sport to grow. We’ll see how it shapes up and how it progresses,” Gasol said, per Dídac Piferrer of MARCA. However, he cautions that European basketball needs to become more stable before such a venture can be successful. “The European basketball model must evolve and improve. Economically, it’s not sustainable, and the vast majority of teams are losing money,” he added.
- With Doris Burke‘s place in ESPN’s announcer rotation unclear beyond the NBA Finals, Pacers’ head coach Rick Carlisle has voiced his support for the longtime broadcaster, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Carlisle praised Burke for the role she has played in laying down a foundation for future female broadcasters, and was disappointed that the rumors of her uncertain future cast a shadow over Game 1 of the NBA Finals. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with all that stuff, but I just want to say thank you to Doris for the example that she has put forth for young women like my daughter and all these people who are changing the game,” Carlisle said. “She has changed the game, and that’s the reason that she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame a couple years ago.”
- Former Laker and Heat guard Kendrick Nunn has received the EuroLeague Players Association’s Players’ Choice Awards MVP for his play with Panathinaikos in Greece, per Eurohoops.net. Nunn averaged 21.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 42.6% from three on 7.2 attempts per game as the team went 22-12 in EuroLeague competition and reached the Final Four of EuroLeague playoff competition. The veteran guard also won the EuroLeague’s official MVP award in April.