By Frank Pingue
(Reuters) – The National Basketball Association is exploring the possibility of launching a European league with world basketball governing body FIBA as its partner, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on Thursday.
Silver, speaking at a press conference with International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Secretary General Andreas Zagklis after the NBA Board of Governors meeting in New York City, said the league has long considered opportunities in Europe.
“We feel now is the time to move to that next stage,” said Silver. “At our board meeting today there was enthusiastic support from our club owners about continuing to explore this opportunity.”
Silver also said “literally nothing” has been agreed upon yet and that the NBA was still in the exploratory stage of the process.
The initial plan is to have a 16-team European league made up of 12 permanent clubs and four that would have to qualify on a yearly basis.
Silver, who took over as NBA commissioner in 2014, did not reveal what teams may be involved in the potential European league.
“In some cases what comes with those existing clubs are huge global brands,” Silver said. “In some cases those brands built through global soccer, not basketball, but we recognise there is a tremendous depth of interest in people rooting for those clubs so that becomes very relevant as well.”
According to a Bloomberg News report, the NBA has held early-stage talks with owners of top European soccer clubs Paris St Germain (PSG) and Manchester City among others.
Silver said any league, which would require a vote of the NBA board to move forward, would honor the current FIBA and European format, including 40-minute games as opposed to the 48-minute format used in the NBA.
Zagklis said the timing for a European league could not be better than it is now.
“Coming out of the most successful (FIBA Basketball) World Cup and Olympics ever we believe it is the right time that we also take the next step for club basketball,” he said.
In January, Silver told a press conference ahead of two regular season games in Paris that the league was looking “very closely” at a European league but that it was still in the exploratory stage.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)
