As on the bench of the French men’s team with the departure of Vincent Collet, replaced by Freddy Fauthoux, a page is turning at the French Basketball Federation since this Saturday, Jean-Pierre Huckler was elected president of the FFBB for a four-year term.
At 65, he becomes the 14th president of the FFBB and succeeds Jean-Pierre Siutat, in place since 2010. Former high-level referee and President of the organizing committees of EuroBasket 2013 and 2015 in France, Jean-Pierre Huckler has already announced that it wishes to get closer to FIBA and the NBA.
“FIBA cannot live without a federation like the French Federation, and conversely, the French Federation cannot live outside the International Federation”he declared, in comments reported by AFP. Among the main lines of his project, there is the visibility of French basketball on television, the strengthening of infrastructures to respond to the growth of licensees, the rapprochement between the International Federation and the Euroleague, “the major competition in Europe” , but also the “protection” of the best young French people, attracted by the NCAA since the establishment of NIL contracts to pay university basketball players, or other foreign championships to prepare for the NBA Draft.
Last summer, the NBA denied having reached an agreement with the LNB on the establishment of the equivalent of the NBL’s “Next Stars” program in Australia, to ensure that the best young French people no longer leave for abroad to complete their training before being drafted.
On the women’s side, Jean-Pierre Huckler also wants to get closer to the WNBA to find a compromise on the participation of French players in the biggest international competitions.