NBA commissioner Adam Silver has always made globalizing the league a priority during his tenure (which began in 2014), but an idea he discussed on Friday would certainly be taking that to new levels.
Silver explained last year how the NBA was exploring a partnership with FIBA for a new European basketball league. In recent months, Silver has said that the plans continue for an NBA Europe.
During an appearance on The Carton Show (on WFAN and SNY) with Craig Carton on Friday, Silver explained the appeal of a standalone league, but he proceeded to suggest the possibility of a future NBA European Division.
The first concern with that expansion idea would, of course, be the idea of travel for NBA teams going to and from Europe during a season, and Silver mentioned the advancements in supersonic air travel as a way to make that feasible.
“So, [NBA Europe] would be a standalone league,” Silver said. “But, I would just say over time… There’s a company called ‘Boom’ that is saying by 2030 they’re going to have supersonic jets.”
“Because travel is a big concern,” Carton said, to which Silver agreed.
“Long term, I could definitely imagine we could have a division in Europe,” Silver explained. “And, obviously, this is a very global game.”
“And also, for our sport, from a commercial standpoint, the arena is so much a part of the operation,” Silver continued. “And what’s interesting, like, for those who watched the last Summer Olympics… It’s a bit surprising. Like, in Paris, the arena is really old. It’s fine for playing a basketball game. But from a commercial standpoint, they don’t have all of the back-of-house space that we have at arenas, all the great restaurants, and lounges, and all the other commercial opportunities.
“So, the interesting thing about our sport, it’s both for these great European cities; it’s not just bringing in a potential and NBA type team. But also, the same thing you’ve seen market-by-market in the United States. It first started with this L.A. Live complex, where it’s an arena; you see it in San Francisco now, together with retail, commercial space, residential. So, it looks like a really big opportunity we’re spending time on. As I said, whether we have a division is something way down the road. But, I think, short term, you could see a really successful standalone league in Europe.”
Most NBA fans would just like Silver and the league to figure out how to make the product more entertaining/watchable amid the tanking and load-management era, to go with gambling scandals, etc. But Silver is thinking much, much bigger.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.