By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Since the first moment they were announced, FIBA Windows ended up being a matter of debate, especially in Europe.
On the contrary, some exciting things happened with the first-ever “window” on the books that was organically part of the basketball calendar with only the NBA missing the party and the EuroLeague for the first time collaborating with FIBA.
First of all, Cuba beat the USA and that’s the biggest argument on why the windows are needed. You need to build a solid national team program to avoid such results, nobody is invincible even with EuroLeague players on board as was the case with Spain losing two games, and this is ultimately what basketball needs.
While the numbers prove that the sport is on the rise, it’s also proven historically that usually a big success from a national team is needed for basketball to get established in that specific country. Of course, that’s not always the case, like the German example proves, still a national success is in most cases what the sport needs to get a mainstream audience.
For this to happen, you need first and foremost national team games. That’s how you multiply the chances for upsets and that’s how teams from countries where basketball is not a priority, like the Nordic countries or central Europe, will get the chance to improve and by doing so, improving also the status of the sport inside their borders.
The only shadow left is that next year’s calendar is not set yet and it seems that only one window might be enough mid-season, while there are already two scheduled for the 2024-25 season. However, that’s a bridge that FIBA and EuroLeague – and who knows? maybe the NBA in the future – will have to cross after the Olympics.