NBA team owners reportedly considering launching European league, will discuss proposal this week
The NBA reportedly believes up to $3 billion could be generated by basketball in European markets and the Middle East.
Expansion ala Francais?
NBA owners to consider 8-10 franchise in Europe
- Thread starter LadyStanley
- Start date
Expansion ala Francais?
No Fun Shogun
34-38-61-10-13-15
Not to get too political, but this seems to be about the worst time to realistically expect European fan support at an American league's attempt to completely upend their basketball superstructures. Feels like this will just be an easy rallying point for European fans (and folks that don't care about basketball) to unite in hate against.
Voight
#winning
Politics aside this would be a bad idea in general. We saw how much soccer fans hated the idea of a Super League and this is not far off from that.
Adam Silver discusses NBA's plans to form European league with FIBA: 'Now is the time'
The commissioner spoke following the Board of Governors meeting on Thursday.
Mrfenn92
Proud to be American
With current climate involving anything involving the US it will be colossal failure
This model is in line with how I think the most likely scenario for success would look. Not that it necessarily will be successful.
The focus is on expanding the NBA brand rather than adding NBA teams in Europe.
The NBA introduced an inseason tournament and play in round to their Playoffs. They will normalize and build on those. Then create NBA Europe as a stand alone entity. With I'm sure, the long term plan to integrate European teams into one or both of those.
Something like the top 2 Euro teams participating in the play in round. Or tying into the inseason tournament at some point.
The focus is on expanding the NBA brand rather than adding NBA teams in Europe.
The NBA introduced an inseason tournament and play in round to their Playoffs. They will normalize and build on those. Then create NBA Europe as a stand alone entity. With I'm sure, the long term plan to integrate European teams into one or both of those.
Something like the top 2 Euro teams participating in the play in round. Or tying into the inseason tournament at some point.
Greatzsky 99
Registered User
- May 9, 2022
- 183
- 788
HisIceness
This is Hurricanes Hockey
Good luck trying to convince some American kid drafted 1st overall by the Paris Panthers or whatever to sign with the European club.
DaveG
Noted Jerk
Can't see this working. You're not going to get fans of Barca or Dinamo Zagreb or whatever other major big city club to jettison their fandom. And any attempt to get those teams to join whatever NBA subleague will make the pushback from the attempt at getting the football superleague going look like a minor disagreement.
Voight
#winning
They can't just add in teams from overseas to the play in/playoffs.
Even if they could, scheduling wouldn't work. Euroleague finishes its regular season in mid April. Then their playoffs start, so the best teams wouldn't be available.
Another issue is Euroleague players wouldn't be eligible to play since they are not members of the NBAPA.
Golden_Jet
Registered User
- Sep 21, 2005
- 22,965
- 16,130
Anaheim4ever
Registered User
- Jun 15, 2017
- 9,025
- 6,305
I don't know I think some might love it, get to live in a beautiful foreign country for a few years until they trade you because you won't sign max deal. I'd jump at the chance to be paid millions to live in France/UK/Germany/Spain/Greece/Spain/Lithuania(underrated country and cuisine/drink).
FissionFire
Registered User
Maybe, but the loss of exposure to the US audience would likely hurt their endorsement chances. That’s where the big money is and why players like the big markets
Silky Johnson
I wish you all the bad things in life.
Yeah because being young & rich in Paris is like the worst....
GKJ
Global Moderator
- Feb 27, 2002
- 186,064
- 46,482
That’s not going to happen. At least not yet. This is the correct take:
The NHL has been rumored to do the same, except the in-season tournament stuff. A branded league meant to sit above the European leagues and basically be a 4A league.
AtlantaWhaler
Thrash/Preds/Sabres
- Jul 3, 2009
- 19,603
- 4,284
All the owners in all the major leagues are constantly looking for ways to add revenue. Adding more games, TV deals and streaming, playoff formats....Expansion into Europe has been the next step for almost a decade now. It'll probably happen some day, but it'll take a long time. NFL's been trying for a looong time. It's working, but really slowly.
Obviously there are numerous hurdles to overcome. Scheduling, PA is a great call out, and just how "NBA vs European league" these teams will be. Like will they still be in another league? I assumed they'd be stand alone. We really don't have much information.
However I also don't think they'll overlap with the NBA so much that you'd see transactions between NBA and NBA-Euro teams.
The $500m price tag is the best indicator. That's just 10% of the avg NBA franchise value. That doesn't get you the rights to NBA level talent.
I'm purely speculating, but I do think it could eventually lead to playing some games against NBA teams. But the easiest format is the least logical and meaningful, which would be NBA champ vs Euro Champ. I don't think we'd see that, or at least nothing more than exhibition game value. Like the Euro champ gains the rights to host the NBA champs in an exhibition game which would be $ value but not credibility value.
Voight
#winning
That wouldn't be the worst idea IMO, it would be a lesser version of the Finalissima in soccer. The only thing is, in all likelihood tho the Euro team would probably get beat by a significant amount. It would of course bring in a ton of money between ticket sales and TV rights.
DaveG
Noted Jerk
Not sure it'll work. (American) Football had potential because it was a niche sport in a new market with NFL Europe, that still ended up being a bit of a flop everywhere but Germany which is one of the big reasons why they moved to having NFL games in Europe instead to get market share. Basketball on the other hand is already popular, especially in Southern Europe (Spain, Greece, Italy, former Yugoslavia), and European fandom is a lot more ingrained with the teams already. Barca, Napoli, Panathinaikos, etc are already established brands there. Even if the quality is better that's still going to be the team that people will choose to see instead. And getting those clubs to join whatever the NBA is trying would be a shitstorm of the highest level.
Greatzsky 99
Registered User
- May 9, 2022
- 183
- 788
Im a bit sick of this expantion mania thinking, its everywhere, consolidising and refine and perfect what you have and focus inwardly
is not bad, be gratuful for what you have, be exclusive.. well thats my thinking, to much obsession in general with GROWTH GROWTH
more markets, you canr´t even go to a store any longer here and buy something without beeing asked- are you a member??
is not bad, be gratuful for what you have, be exclusive.. well thats my thinking, to much obsession in general with GROWTH GROWTH
more markets, you canr´t even go to a store any longer here and buy something without beeing asked- are you a member??
Some people are way too engrossed in politics if they think this wont work because of the current landscape.
That's like #976 on the list of reasons this wont work.
That's like #976 on the list of reasons this wont work.
varsaku
Registered User
They could do operate as separate leagues with no interleague play till the finals. That will allow Europe to have a separate organizational and financial structure to appease local fans.
Golden_Jet
Registered User
- Sep 21, 2005
- 22,965
- 16,130
Then how does drafting work, first overall gets drafted by Paris, and now cannot make the coin he would’ve, if drafted by NA team.
bv29
Registered User
- Nov 29, 2022
- 52
- 53
No Dinamo fans - or sport fans in Zagreb in general - would ever support any artifical NBA franchise in Zagreb (aside the slim overall chance of that happening). There is only one basketball club in Zagreb 99% of fans supports and that is Cibona. Sure, they are far away from their glory days, but they are very strong brand and no NBA newcomer would change that.
