The EuroLeague shareholders' meeting held on the shores of Lake Como in Italy and the subsequent statements from the EuroLeague and NBA-FIBA fronts again accelerated the discussions on the future of basketball on the continent.
NBA and FIBA reiterated their determination to move forward with the new league project in their joint statement: "A partnership between EuroLeague, FIBA and NBA that will unite the European basketball ecosystem will unlock the enormous potential of basketball across Europe while benefiting clubs, players and, above all, fans. NBA and FIBA remain determined to launch a new professional men's league in Europe and contribute to the building of a stronger and more sustainable basketball ecosystem together with partners who share their vision of growth, opportunity and in line with the fundamental principles of the European sports model."
AIVAZOGLOU: WE ARE PROCEEDING IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR PLANS TO START NEXT YEAR
Speaking at the Leaders Week conference held in London yesterday, NBA Europe and Middle East Executive Director George Aivazoglou emphasized the importance of preserving the traditions of European basketball while bringing basketball to wider audiences: "NBA Europe needs to protect the passionate European basketball fans who have supported basketball and its teams for generations. This is what gives it its uniqueness. Basketball played on the field in Europe is great: the quality, the intensity of the competition and the passion of the fans. We do not want to lose this. This project cannot be successful if it is imposed or perceived as a foreign structure. "It needs to respect traditions, but also attract more people than it does today. Just as the NBA's audience and presentation format has become more diverse, European basketball must also become a global sports brand."
Aivazoglou also reiterated the NBA's determination to work with partners and move forward with plans to launch the league: "We are extremely serious and consistent in our intention to work with everyone who shares our vision for the future. We are moving forward with our plans to launch next year."
However, the statements and news reflected in the international press in the last week show that the interest in NBA Europe has spread to different areas. Well-established clubs of European basketball, football brands, investors and coaches working in the NBA are putting the project on their agenda for different reasons.
GIANNAKOPOULOS: NBA WANTS TO INVEST
Dimitris Giannakopoulos, the owner of Panathinaikos, shared a post on his Instagram account during the Como summit and said, "Together, we have transformed the sport we love into an organization in which the NBA - I repeat, the NBA, the best league in the world - wants to invest and make the EuroLeague a part of its own world." He stated that he was proud of the point reached and called for a common solution.
Criticizing the attitude of Olympiakos and some other clubs, Giannakopoulos argued that these clubs were not interested in growing basketball. Stating that success is still evaluated based on how much money is lost at the end of the year, the owner of Panathinaikos completed his message with the following words: "Basketball is not the toy of rich children."
"WE ARE VERY PLEASED THAT THEY ARE SO OPEN"
One of the examples of the interest in the new league from the investment and football side is RedBird Capital, the main owner of Milan.
Speaking at the Leaders Week conference held in London yesterday, RedBird Capital manager Brandon Snow stated that they are seriously considering creating a franchise in NBA Europe, and that they were pleased with the clarity they saw in finding a suitable model for both parties in the negotiations.
"We will start basketball from scratch. Therefore, we will benefit from the Milan brand and its cultural power and try to bring this to basketball," said Snow, emphasizing that the NBA understands the contribution they can make to the partnership.
PEREZ WANTS IT TO HAPPEN
According to a high-ranking EuroLeague club source speaking to The Guardian, one of England's prestigious newspapers, Real Madrid President Florentino Perez is keeping his eyes and ears on NBA Europe...
The newspaper, which reported the statements of the source in question, said, regarding Perez's interest, "Florention is very interested in NBA Europe. He wants the project to be realized as soon as possible and constantly requests updated information."
ATKINSON: IT'S A REALLY AWESOME THING
Club managers or investors are not the only ones making positive statements about NBA Europe. Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach Kenny Atkinson, one of the legendary coaches of the NBA, stated in his recent evaluation that he was pleased that the NBA and FIBA were negotiating for the new league and that the project will create more opportunities for players in different parts of the world.
Speaking at the Basketball Without Borders event organized by the NBA and FIBA in Istanbul at the end of August, Atkinson said: "With NBA Europe, in cooperation with FIBA, I think we will be even closer to the players, especially the European players. We are close now, but this is something different. We will probably be able to evaluate the players better. We will be able to establish closer relations with the clubs here. Yes, we are close with the players now, we already have good relations with the clubs, but having the NBA logo on the league makes some things much better." "Of course, I think this is great for the players as well. Frankly, I think it will be an economic revival as well."
