NBA is not ruling out an opportunity to potentially add teams outside the league to their in-season tournament.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver suggests that EuroLeague or other teams outside the league could play official games against the best teams in the world.
This could potentially be part of an in-season tournament that the NBA is currently considering implementing.
“We’ve talked about an in-season tournament to create some additional excitement during the regular season. It may be that at some point, there’s an in-season tournament, but it includes clubs from outside the NBA. So those are all ideas we’ll continue to look at,” Silver said in an official press conference.
Other than that, it can be difficult to find a time when NBA and European teams are both in top form and able to compete against each other.
“Over the years, we’ve had some different tournaments where NBA clubs have played European clubs. I’m sure you recall we had the McDonald’s Championship many years ago. It’s something we’ll continue to look at,” Silver explained.
“I think it’s a question of creating the best possible competition. Part of the issue is our cycle of our season versus the EuroLeague.”
“I don’t think it’s realistic that a team, for example, would finish the Finals, after what we’ve all talked about is a very long season, and then go yet play in another tournament. And then, because of player movement in this league, it’s a different team the following fall, and they’re not conditioned yet.
They haven’t had an opportunity to gel with the team, and then they would enter it directly into competition,” Silver raised his doubts over other possibilities of setting up games between NBA and EuroLeague clubs.
The most recent example of EuroLeague teams playing against NBA clubs was in 2016 when Luka Doncic led Real Madrid in a game against Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The NBA has reportedly considered an in-season tournament to begin as early as the 2023-24 season.
The EuroLeague CEO Marshall Glickman recently said he was about to try to revamp the relationships between the EuroLeague and NBA.
“I’m going to try to reset that relationship,” Glickman, a son of one of the founders of the Portland Trail Blazers, confirmed to BasketNews.
Glickman previously served as the NBA broadcasting coordinator and has experience working with major US broadcasters and as the media sales director at NBA properties.
“We could be cooperating in business ways. We could cooperate as far as the game, the rules, and how the games are officiated. I think there are a lot of things we could be doing together in collaboration,” Glickman acknowledged.
“I think part of this is also resetting our relationship with FIBA because the NBA sits on the board of FIBA. Marc Tatum is on the board. So I’m walking it. We have a short window with the NBA because they’re so busy in Paris. But we have meetings this week, and I’m looking forward to that,” Glickman concluded.
He also planned to attend the NBA All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City on February 17-19.
“I think it’s time to talk about it because, after all, we’re feeding the NBA. There are probably 25% international players, maybe more. Most of them are coming from Europe, and many of them are coming from our key countries and our key clubs,” he emphasized.
“We’re making great investments in people who become their future stars or just everyday players either way. And there ought to be a conversation about how we can have better cooperation. And I’m going to be as innovative as possible to see that that happens,” Glickman concluded.
by Donatas Urbonas