NBA Europe to 'respect' European basketball tradition

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said a proposed NBA Europe league would "respect the traditions of European basketball."

Silver used the occasion of Thursday's NBA game in Berlin between the Orlando Magic and the Memphis Grizzlies — the first regular season game to ever take place in Germany — to give an update on the venture.

He said the NBA was continuing to hold discussions with teams about its plans, which would see it partner with FIBA, world basketball's governing body, to create a 16-team European league. Up to 12 spots would be reserved for permanent members, and at least four would be available to teams that qualify through FIBA's existing European competition.

"I would just say we continue to be enormously excited about it," Silver said about the notion of an NBA Europe, adding that discussions with media organizations and sponsors were still ongoing.

However, the NBA's plans are likely to encounter resistance from the EuroLeague, European basketball's current top-tier tournament, and European politicians concerned about the threat to the so-called European sports model.

They fear an invite-only league would stifle the development of national leagues in Europe. Such "closed" leagues "benefit only the top percent of the commercially successful clubs," a European government official told Politico last month.

Asked about the threat of legal action from the EuroLeague, Silver joked that he sends any legal letters to his lawyers.

"I don't think it's inevitable that there is a clash," he said. "I think there is an opportunity here to grow European basketball."

"We're trying to find the best combination of old and new, tradition and innovation. And I think, frankly, that's what the NBA brings to the table."

NBA returns to Germany

The last time the NBA came to Germany, who are the current world and European champions, was for a pre-season game in 2008.

Silver told reporters that basketball was enjoying a "golden era" in Germany and called the capital's club, Alba Berlin, a "model of the type of club that we would like to see in a potential European league."

"To me, they are an example of how a top-tier club should be run and organized," Silver added. "They have tremendous youth programs, they have deep fan support [and] they've created enormous enthusiasm around the game."

As well as Germany, the NBA is reportedly targeting teams in England, France, Spain and Turkey, among others. Silver said the league would be a "mix of existing teams and potentially new teams."

European talent drain

Europe has long provided a rich pool of talent for NBA teams in North America. This season, about one in six NBA players — more than 70 in total — hail from Europe.

These include Serbia's Nikola Jokic, a three-time Most Valuable Player, as well as three Germans representing Orlando: the Wagner brothers, Franz and Moritz, and Tristan da Silva.

Although da Silva called playing in the United States his "dream as a kid," he suggested young players had a "good incentive" to ply their trade in Europe.

"It's just a high level of basketball," he said at a press conference on Tuesday. "There's a lot of guys from overseas, from America, coming to Europe playing here. So, it's just getting globalized."

Basketball is Europe's No. 2 sport

The appetite for basketball in Europe already exists, according to the NBA, which points to the "untapped" potential of 270 million fans. It says basketball is the continent's fastest-growing sport and ranks second only to football in popularity. Earlier this week, NBA Europe's chief suggested that basketball could even "catch up" to football.

However, Silver appeared to lower expectations when DW asked how the NBA would put a dent in European football's market share.

"We view ourselves as complementary to other sports leagues," Silver said. "Being the number two sport in Europe, and only faster growing than football because it's so much larger than we are, that to me speaks to the opportunity that exists to build a viable business around this sport."

Franz Wagner, who, like his brother, grew up in Berlin and came through the youth system at Alba, said comparisons with football took "the joy out of" basketball.

"I look at the recent developments in Germany and I'm super grateful to be part of it," he told reporters on Wednesday. "I think it's amazing the sport is growing so fast."

Edited by: Sean Sinico

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