The NBA reported this Tuesday that it is in talks with FIBA for a possible investment in Europenoting that there is an “untapped opportunity” for the growth of basketball on the continent.
“We are working with FIBA (International Basketball Federation) and our partners in Europe to take advantage of this opportunity to grow basketball there“said Mark Tatum, deputy commissioner of the NBA, in a telephone press conference with international media.
“There is no doubt that there is an opportunity for basketball to continue growing in Europe”Tatum said in this conference prior to the start of the 2024-2025 NBA season this Tuesday.
“Basketball is probably the second most popular sport on the continent, but its market share is very small at the moment,” he noted. The leader specified that at the moment there is “no fixed calendar, nor (other) concrete data to offer today.”“.
“How can we invest in the European basketball ecosystem? What is a possible operating model? What could it be like? … We are still in a preliminary phase of talks with FIBA” I exposed Tatum.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver already mentioned in August the possibility of launching a project in Europewithout specifying whether it would be a competition that rivals the Euroleague.
This Tuesday, Tatum cited the Basketball Africa League, founded in 2019 in collaboration with FIBA, as an example.and hinted that a European adventure could work in a similar way.
In its strong commitment to globalization, the NBA will once again organize regular phase matches beyond its borders, this time in Mexico City (November 2) and Paris (January 23 and 25).
The North American league also detailed this Tuesday that a total of 125 foreign players will start the course, equaling last season’s record.
