The first team with rumored interest in the new NBA league in Europe has emerged.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver held a press conference Thursday, Jan. 15 ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies-Orlando Magic game in Berlin and discussed the exploration of the proposed 16-team league that’s in collaboration with FIBA.
Reports have emerged about the possible teams to compose the league, and Spanish giant Real Madrid, the team for which Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić played from 2015-18, supposedly threw its support behind the NBA-backed project. Silver declined to confirm that, but he did offer some revealing details.
“I will confirm that we’ve had discussions with Real Madrid and other Spanish clubs, as well,” he told reporters Thursday before characterizing the discussions as preliminary and fact finding. “So it would be premature at this moment to talk about more specific conversations with any clubs.”
NBA senior vice president and head of international strategy Leah MacNab told USA TODAY Sports’ Jon Hoefling Wednesday, Jan. 14 that the NBA intended for the proposed venture to have 12 permanent teams – that would presumably go to blue-chip clubs with tradition and established brands – and at least four rotational spots. This structure would closely resemble the relegation system used by European soccer and basketball leagues.
MacNab added that preliminary formal conversations have happened in an appropriate and lawful manner, with initial conversations taking place months ago.
EuroLeague, which would be in direct competition with this proposed NBA-backed venture, reportedly sent the NBA a letter threatening legal action if the NBA continued to pursue teams that were signed to a EuroLeague license.
“I send the legal letters to my lawyers, so I’ll let them handle that,” Silver said. “I don’t think, by any means, it’s inevitable that there is a clash. I think there is an opportunity here to grow European basketball, and frankly, I’m much more focused on the competitive landscape, not just with other sports in Europe but with other entertainment options.
“That’s how we view the NBA. We don’t think of ourselves, even in the United States, as necessarily competing against other basketball organizations or other sports organizations. We’re competing for people’s attention. We are, in many ways, a sport entertainment product.”
FIBA is not partnered with EuroLeague, though it had a previous relationship in the past, so this new league with the backing of the NBA would be an opportunity for FIBA to reclaim some of that market.
“If I thought that the ceiling was the existing EuroLeague and their fan interest, we wouldn’t be spending the kind of time and attention we are on this project,” Silver said. “I’m a huge fan, as many of you know, of European football. I’m amazed at the sense of followership and belonging, almost the tribalism that comes with the love and support of these organizations, and that to me is where we’re setting our sights.
“I think there is plenty of room for competition. There’s plenty of room for somebody to be a fan of both their favorite football club and their favorite basketball club. So that’s where my focus is right now.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Europe basketball, Real Madrid rumors
