London (AFP) – NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on Saturday his organisation has spoken to French football giants Paris Saint-Germain about joining a proposed European basketball league. Champions League holders PSG are the latest football powerhouse to express interest in the NBA Europe proposal. The NBA last year announced their plan to launch a European league in 2027 in partnership with world basketball governing body FIBA.
Silver has been meeting potential investors in the league during a trip to London and Berlin this week. He confirmed talks with Real Madrid ahead of the NBA’s Berlin Game between the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday. Speaking in London, he said French champions PSG, who have no ties to basketball at present, are also interested in the league. “They are certainly one of the clubs we have had conversations with. We have enormous respect for their operating capabilities,” Silver told a group of reporters at a London hotel.
Related news
“They are obviously operating at a premier level of competition. We know that they have the know-how to operate a basketball club at the highest level, should that be of interest to them. The direct answer is yes. They are an organisation we have had discussions with.” The proposed 16-team league would feature 10 to 12 permanent teams from across Europe, with the remainder made up of sides taking part on a rotational basis.
No clubs have been announced, but Silver said the league is likely to be made up of “existing European teams and new teams” while targeting both existing and emerging basketball markets. France is one of Europe’s basketball hot-beds, with several players, including San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, having moved to the NBA from the country.
– ‘A market we want to be in’ –
NBA Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum believes PSG’s global brand and marketing success makes them an ideal potential investor in the league. “Paris is a market we absolutely want to be in. One of the things that is very intriguing about PSG is their ability to build brand, culture and community,” Tatum said. “As Adam said, we want to identify the right partners, and there is no doubt PSG brings a level of expertise in terms of marketing, promotion, building a global brand, that is very interesting.”
However, Paris already has a basketball team that was founded in 2018 and competes in the EuroLeague, which stands as a competitor to the NBA’s new scheme. Reports have emerged of the EuroLeague threatening legal action against the NBA should clubs break existing agreements to take part in the fledgling competition. “I would say Paris is one of the most interesting, fascinating prospects when we are thinking about this league,” NBA Europe and Middle East Managing Director George Aivazoglou said.
“They bring very interesting things to the table. From obviously PSG, which is a global brand, to a team like Paris Basketball, which didn’t exist a few years ago. They galvanised a part of Paris with a well-performing team. There is a lot to look at.” PSG are owned by Qatar Sports Investments, a subsidiary of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund. The NBA currently only allows sovereign wealth funds to own 20 percent of any of the league’s 30 teams.
But Silver said the NBA Europe plan could start progress towards easing that restriction. “We can see with PSG there has been success with sovereign wealth funds that own teams,” he said. “It may be that over time there are practices that we learn from in Europe that will then move into the United States. It means looking at this opportunity from scratch here in Europe. We are open to different kinds of investors, as principal investors, that aren’t currently allowed in the NBA.”
© 2024 AFP
