By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The latest updates concerning the NBA partnering with FIBA to expand to Europe, widely labeled as NBA Europe, were delivered by George Avaizoglou, managing director of NBA Europe and Middle East.
The Greek executive shared his projections on the participating field in an interview with The New York Times, mentioning established basketball clubs, interested football or soccer clubs, and new teams.
“Existing basketball teams on the continent are very interested in participating and, in many cases, those basketball teams represent a multi-sport organization,” he explained.
Meetings with Real Madrid and Galatasaray fit the criteria.
“It’s a great opportunity for them to diversify and build a multi-sport proposition, which is very common in some countries of Europe, like Spain, Greece or Turkey, and less common in others like the United Kingdom, but I think there’s genuine appetite there for us,” said Avaizoglou.
“What’s really interesting is that those clubs come with centuries of tradition over many decades, so they have built strong brands. Those brands are, in many cases, global brands and have appeal and fans all over the world,” he continued, “On the practical side, those are run by operators who know how to fill arenas and build high-performing teams. In addition to the fan bases they’ve built, that is tremendous value they can offer to this league from day one.”
With a new European League expected to launch in 2027 or 2028, as confirmed by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Avaizoglou discussed how teams from Paris, London, Manchester, Berlin, and Rome can be participants.
“We could also see a scenario where in some cities, some completely new brands are created as part of this league, but I think the majority will be from a type-one or type-two program,” he referred to previous examples of established teams.
Domestic competitions can also be connected to the new league, similar to the current football system implemented by UEFA.
“What you have in football is a very lean, singular pyramid that’s very easy to explain and understand to funds, media investors, prospective partners, and players,” mentioned Aivazoglou, “Success in the domestic league doesn’t necessarily mean qualification or opportunity to perform at a very high level across the continent in a pan-European way, and I think that’s a big miss because it diminishes the value of those domestic leagues, but it also doesn’t allow the multitude of teams from around the ecosystem to dream, to have their own Cinderella story. Leicester winning the Premier League a few years back was a fantastic story.”
Photo Credit: FIBA