The NBA and FIBA's discussions regarding a potential collaboration on an annual tournament or an NBA-operated league have reportedly headed up. Despite no plans set in stone, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver sees benefits on both sides and is always looking for ways to help the league grow globally as its popularity increases.
“We certainly haven’t made any definitive decisions,” Silver said, per Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds. “I continue to believe there’s enormous opportunity here. It’s not something where we’ll transform a league structure in the short term. But I think that there’s an appetite among our team owners for additional investment in global basketball. We have a huge initiative in China. We have a huge initiative in Africa. Given the quality of the basketball here in Europe, it would seem to make sense that we should be doing something here as well.”
Silver hopes that with proper due diligence, the new opportunity will pay dividends, and is prepared to take the appropriate steps to ensure this is the case between now and the future.
“We want to make sure we have a true grasp of the opportunity,” Silver said. “We’ll take the time we need to before we decide to move forward on any initiative.”
The NBA’s global reach in 2024
Four out of the five players named to this year’s 2024 All-NBA First Team were not born in the United States. That is a testament to the extent of how far basketball’s popularity has reached globally. Boston Celtics’ superstar Jayson Tatum, who joined Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nikola Jokic on this year’s coveted team, is the only one who was born in the States.
Doncic hails from Slovenia, while the other four, including Tatum, represent their respective countries in this year’s 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Giannis is leading Greece, Jokic is playing for Serbia, Gilgeous-Alexander starts for Canada, and Tatum reps Team USA.
Currently visiting Paris, it’s been a welcoming sight for Adam Silver, who’s in town for the Olympics, where the host team of France, led by NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, is heavily favored to medal in this year’s competition.
“When we first played a preseason game in France, there were zero players from France in the NBA. We now have 14, including the last two No. 1 picks,” Silver said. “So, I think that that’s just a great example of the development we’re seeing of the game here.”
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