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During a live interview on Wednesday at the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum held at the United Nations, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reiterated the possibility of NBA teams facing off against European teams in the NBA Cup or potentially during the playoffs in the future.
This isn’t the first occasion this concept has been brought up; it has previously been introduced as a possibility. However, this time, Silver took the opportunity to expand on the notion.
“You could envision teams from Europe, and possibly Africa, joining in that tournament,” Silver stated. “We might see top teams from other leagues entering our playoffs as well. Over time, particularly in Europe, with advancements in air travel… I frequently read about improvements in aviation. When I consider the flight from New York to Los Angeles, for instance, if we had four teams based in Europe, there’s no reason that you couldn’t travel to play against the Knicks or Nets, then fly to London, participate in three or four games in Europe, and return home. I believe that’s very feasible within our league.”
He also emphasized that the primary issue regarding the NBA’s expansion into Europe or other global locations is the quality of the arenas.
“From a commercial perspective, we haven’t seen the level of development evident in the United States,” he remarked at the Bloomberg Global Forum. “There are not many modern arenas in Europe. For those who attended the Olympics in Paris last summer, we had an excellent basketball tournament at the Bercy Arena, which was partially revamped for the Olympics.
“However, for industry professionals, while everything might seem satisfactory from the spectator’s perspective, it lacks the suites, dining options, and backstage facilities necessary for larger events… London has the O2 Arena, which represents significant progress in Europe, but that venue is already aging, and discussions about new developments are underway. We see a strong opportunity to establish ourselves in key European capitals through a collaborative effort focusing on arena development, creating multi-purpose venues, and exploring all associated opportunities.”
