By Javier Molero/ jmolero@eurohoops.net
Adam Silver continues to unveil new ideas for NBA Europe. Following his conference in Berlin last Thursday, where he discussed team financing, he commented at a meeting on Saturday with selected media in London that he is interested in Paris Saint-Germain as a potential franchise for the new European league they are developing.
According to L’Équipe, Adam Silver is considering PSG the main option in Paris for the project. “They play at the highest level of competition (in soccer), and they have the know-how to operate a basketball club at the highest level, if they’re interested. Yes, it’s a club we’re talking to,” the NBA commissioner commented in a roundtable in London on Saturday.
He reportedly appears to be interested in funding from Qatar and American companies for a PSG basketball team. “It’s ambitious, but it’s doable”, confirmed Silver in the roundtable.
Mark Tatum, Adam Silver’s second hand, emphasized the desire of being in Paris for NBA Europe. “Paris is a market we absolutely want to be in,” he said. “There’s their ability to create a brand, a culture, their association with the Jordan brand (Michael Jordan’s), which is linked to basketball. We’re looking for the right partners for our project, and PSG brings a very interesting level of expertise in terms of marketing, promotion, and building a global brand.”, Tatum commented.
Paris Basketball is already in the Euroleague. In its second season in the biggest competition in Europe, the French team could not be in Adam Silver’s plans. “Paris is a fascinating market. There is interest from existing players and from those not yet in the basketball ecosystem. Paris Basketball didn’t exist a few years ago (founded in 2018) and has galvanized fans and built a team that performs well. Our job is to engage with each of these stakeholders,” answered George Aivazoglou, the head of the NBA in Europe and the Middle East.