By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
George Aivazoglou is the number one executive of the NBA in Europe, and he repeated that the US league is open to collaboration with the EuroLeague, despite the recent announcement of the competition, which mentioned the new league as a “threat”.
As the managing director of NBA Europe and the Middle East said to the Spanish newspaper “El País”: “Obviously, we recognize the fantastic work the EuroLeague has done over the past decades, and we have spoken with the organization regularly. Since I’ve been with the NBA, we have sat down at least three times with the EuroLeague and FIBA to discuss the situation, and just two weeks ago I spoke with the CEO of the competition”.
From his point of view, the NBA is still open to a collaboration denyign the notion of a new league being a “threat”: “We don’t see it the same way and we reiterate that we are open to collaboration and partnerships, and that our sole intention is to take European basketball to the place it deserves within the continent’s sports disciplines”.
The interview didn’t provide any clarity about the plans for a new league, mentioning Unicaja Malaga and PAOK as examples of clubs that can’t qualify for the EuroLeague at the moment.
On the other hand, Aivazoglou once more stressed the importance of the collaboration with FIBA and also added that a collaboration with the NBA may turn the tide of European talent going to the NCAA due to the NIL deals: “It’s about creating a partnership, and I would like to emphasize again that FIBA’s role is to help develop and grow the sport. For this very reason, the economics of sports shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you manage to generate more value, you can return it to the clubs that produce talent and even provide more viable livelihood options for young players. We must generate more value for all our ecosystem members, because that way everyone benefits”.