Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe

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Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe 

Post#1 » by RealGM Wiretap » Thu Jan 23, 2025 1:18 pm

Adam Silver met with the media ahead of the NBA Paris Games 2025. As expected, he got questions about the NBA's interest in expanding to Europe. Silver confirmed the NBA has interest in creating a European league, but that it wouldn't be as an expansion of the NBA itself.


"We might eventually have NBA franchises here, but it's not our priority right now," Silver said. "That's not something we're discussing at the moment. We'd need supersonic jets to make it work."


Silver went on to say the NBA could have a presence in Europe similar to the Basketball Africa League. The NBA commissioner also said this is something the NBA is taking their time with, to make sure they do things in the correct ways.


"We're moving slowly to ensure that anything we do is accepted by the existing basketball ecosystem," Silver said. "We've been having direct conversations with stakeholders this week. We want to respect the traditions of European sports, no matter what direction we take.


"We're talking about a competition – probably an independent league separate from the NBA. It would be a European league. What form it takes is still being explored. We're speaking with various groups to understand what opportunities exist."

Via BasketNews

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Re: Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe 

Post#2 » by NBA4Lyfe » Thu Jan 23, 2025 4:27 pm

this is gonna fail too
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Re: Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe 

Post#3 » by TheCage4 » Thu Jan 23, 2025 5:31 pm

How about you fix your flagship league first before you go ahead and create a watered down product overseas.
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Re: Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe 

Post#4 » by Bentley1225 » Thu Jan 23, 2025 6:25 pm

There would be little market for an NBA Europe league. Just ask the NFL
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Re: Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe 

Post#5 » by Snakebites » Thu Jan 23, 2025 6:27 pm

There already are established leagues there, so I'm not sure they realize how difficult it would be to jump into that market.
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Re: Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe 

Post#6 » by Pickled Prunes » Thu Jan 23, 2025 7:17 pm

Snakebites wrote:There already are established leagues there, so I'm not sure they realize how difficult it would be to jump into that market.
Everyone had a watch before apple made a watch. That hasn't stopped millions of people from spending $400 on the ugliest watch on the planet.

Bentley1225 wrote:There would be little market for an NBA Europe league. Just ask the NFL
They don't know football in Europe, but they love basketball.

TheCage4 wrote:How about you fix your flagship league first before you go ahead and create a watered down product overseas.
Good idea! :lol:

NBA4Lyfe wrote:this is gonna fail too
Probably not. The NBA has the money and resources to put together a better product, and more importantly, offer larger contracts to the players. But I hope it fails, or never gets started. It feels heavy handed and monopolistic.

I think the most like scenario for this to happen would be for the NBA to buy into the already established leagues. Why compete when you can just take the reigns? EuroLeague becomes NBAE.
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Re: Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe 

Post#7 » by dubbmotta » Thu Jan 23, 2025 7:49 pm

Snakebites wrote:There already are established leagues there, so I'm not sure they realize how difficult it would be to jump into that market.

Those established leagues do not have NBA money..It would be smart for the NBA to try and buy an established league instead of creating a new one.
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Re: Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe 

Post#8 » by beefman » Thu Jan 23, 2025 8:55 pm

NBA4Lyfe wrote:this is gonna fail too



says the guy whose never even come close to running a business at the NBA level lol
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Re: Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe 

Post#9 » by beefman » Thu Jan 23, 2025 8:56 pm

Bentley1225 wrote:There would be little market for an NBA Europe league. Just ask the NFL


football is purely an american sport. Basketball is not. it has more global appeal
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Re: Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe 

Post#10 » by Bentley1225 » Thu Jan 23, 2025 10:24 pm

beefman wrote:
Bentley1225 wrote:There would be little market for an NBA Europe league. Just ask the NFL


football is purely an american sport. Basketball is not. it has more global appeal


Lol, let me introduce you to the Canadian Football league with 9 teams and U Sports has 27 University programs playing in Canada. NFL Europe never did sustain itself even when there was 0 competition in the market.
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Re: Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe 

Post#11 » by NBA4Lyfe » Thu Jan 23, 2025 10:56 pm

beefman wrote:
NBA4Lyfe wrote:this is gonna fail too



says the guy whose never even come close to running a business at the NBA level lol



That's besides the point

Stu Jackson should have been named the commissioner not adumb silver.
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Re: Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe 

Post#12 » by PDXKnight » Fri Jan 24, 2025 4:54 am

Supersonic jets? No you just need to get creative with scheduling and probably give teams an extra day for travel

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