The NBA’s Global Expansion Strategy

When Adam silver was in Lille for the Olympics in August, he talked about how the clubs' owners intended to invest more money in basketball around the world. He said again in September that they were ready to look closely at this alternative, but they still don't know what their plan for Europe is. The head of the NBA then said: The Euroleague is a private and almost closed league that began in 2000 after the largest clubs in Europe quit the FIBA (International Federation) to generate more money. Twenty-five years later, it still shines in sports, but most of the individuals who play lose money — unlike The NBA’s Global Expansion Strategy, which focuses on both growth and profitability.

According to the specialised media, Real Madrid lost 20.8 million euros in the 2023–2024 season. This is largely because the TV rights are hard to secure, even if the marketing agency IMG inked a deal with them two weeks ago that lasts until the conclusion of the 2035–2036 season, which is more than a year before it finishes. In December, FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis indicated that the federation was still negotiating to the NBA and that this did not affect "national teams and championships." In August, Adam Silver denied rumours that he sought to modify the essence of European basketball, which is considerably different from American basketball.

No specific plan for Europe yet

We need to make sure that everything we do is in line with how European basketball works. How might the NBA, which is largely recognised for its orange ball as a business and entertainment, get to Europe? A commercial partnership? What games do its individual franchises and Europe play? Is there a real or fake NBA Europe competition? Adam Silver stated on Wednesday that he didn't know if the NBA will be in Paris next season, no matter what. The head of the North American League also claimed that many other prominent cities in Europe were highly interested in hosting moved NBA games.

He indicated at a news conference that it would be very challenging to have regular season games outside of the US. The NBA commissioner, on the other side, claimed that a lot of European cities, like Berlin or London, would like to host these games. He told some reporters that there is no doubt that NBA games would be back in Paris soon. The city has been hosting games since 2020. Adam Silver also brought up the concept of a "European week." During this time, the games would be on pause in the US, and a few NBA teams would head to Europe to play in other places.

Towards a new competition labeled NBA Europe?

"We're thinking about these things," he said, "but with 82 games on a set schedule like we have this year, we can't be very flexible yet." Finally, the head of the North American league answered the question of whether the NBA will grow to include Europe. He merely talked about "the potential of development of a non-NBA sporting structure, in the style of the African Basketball League," but he noted "the substance it may acquire is still unclear." He also said that we should take our time since we don't want to mess up the way basketball is played now.

The NBA declared at the beginning of December that it will go back to China this year. From October 10 to 12, the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns will play two games in Macao. Since 2019, China hasn't hosted any games. Daryl Morey, who was in control of the Houston Rockets at the time, made a controversial Twitter tweet (now X) after two pre-season games. At first, people thought the post was in favour of protests in Hong Kong. People who know ESPN claim that the North American basketball league's links to China, a market with a lot of followers that is highly essential to the organisation, have gotten a lot better since Michael Ma moved to China in 2020 to head the NBA's operations there.

The trail of a "European week"

The South China Morning Post, an English-language tabloid, states that these games are part of an agreement worth millions of dollars that will send two games to Macao every year for five years before the NBA season starts. A lot of individuals in China enjoy to play basketball. The NBA lost hundreds of millions of dollars when it ceased showing games on Chinese TV until 2022. From 2004 to 2019, 17 teams played 28 preseason games at the stadium. Before the outbreak, Commissioner Adam Silver indicated at a conference in October that he felt the NBA might go back to China one day.

When Adam Silver was in Lille for the Olympics in August, he talked about how the clubs' owners intended to invest more money in basketball around the world. He said again in September that they were ready to look closely at this alternative, but they still don't know what their plan for Europe is. The head of the NBA then said: The Euroleague is a private and almost closed league that began in 2000 after the largest clubs in Europe quit the Fiba (International Federation) to generate more money. Twenty-five years later, it still shines in sports, but most of the individuals who play lose money.

Conclusion

In August, Adam Silver denied rumours that he sought to modify the essence of European basketball, which is considerably different from American basketball. We need to make sure that everything we do is in line with how European basketball works. How might the NBA, which is largely recognised for its orange ball as a business and entertainment, get to Europe? A commercial partnership? What games do its individual franchises and Europe play? Is there a real or fake NBA Europe competition?

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