Adam Silver: NBA, FIBA having serious discussions regarding growth in Europe

Adam Silver: NBA, FIBA having serious discussions regarding growth in Europe

Basketball internationally is as big as it has ever been. A record 125 international players–representing 40 countries–were on opening night rosters to start last season, with fans from over 200 countries (and over 50 languages) tuning into games, according to CNBC’s Laya Neelakandan.

The NBA already has significant outreach in China and in Africa. In the midst of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, NBA commissioner Adam Silver opened up about the NBA possibly growing in Europe, discussing the possibilities and opportunities with FIBA.

“We certainly haven’t made any definitive decisions,” Silver said, according to Associated Press NBA insider Tim Reynolds. “I continue to believe there’s enormous opportunity here. It’s not something where we’ll transform a league structure in the short term. But I think that there’s an appetite among our team owners for additional investment in global basketball. We have a huge initiative in China. We have a huge initiative in Africa. Given the quality of the basketball here in Europe, it would seem to make sense that we should be doing something here as well.”

According to Reynolds, the league is trying to expand its “competitive footprint in Europe either through an annual tournament or an NBA-operated league.”

The move to continue expanding in Europe would make plenty of sense. Multiple of the league’s best players is European, including Nikola Jokic –arguably the best basketball player on the planet–plus Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic , who won a title in the world’s second-toughest league at 16-years-old.

“When we first played a preseason game in France, there were zero players from France in the NBA. We now have 14, including the last two No. 1 picks,” Silver said. “So, I think that that’s just a great example of the development we’re seeing of the game here.”

Every year, multiple different teams internationally play NBA squads in the preseason; during Summer League, team China competed in the California Classic. Ulrich Chomche was the first NBA Academy Africa alumni and Basketball Africa League player to be selected in the NBA Draft, being the penultimate selection (No. 57 overall) to the Toronto Raptors.

Outreach continues growing–and it will only continue to grow with the new TV deal. There will be expanded coverage with the Amazon Prime Video package, including in European countries Italy, Spain, France and the United Kingdom.

“We certainly don’t want to do damage to the strong bones of the basketball infrastructure that are in place,” Silver said. “On the other hand, in terms of regional and pan-regional competition here in Europe, it would be my sense — and again, I’m still studying — that lots of investors are losing significant amounts of money every year. And while this isn’t just about money, most things that continue to lose money without a trajectory towards profitability ultimately do not survive. And so, whatever we do here, I think it’s important that it’s additive to the European basketball structure.”

Who knows whether or not FIBA will grant additional growth? What do you want that to look like? Let us know in the comments!

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