The league does not want to replace the Euroleague.
It is hard to understand just what are the goals of the National Basketball Association’s business side when it comes to Europe. The league does want to establish some sort of foothold on the continent but according to the NBA’s Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, “our goal is not to replace the EuroLeague.” Tatum told the Reuters news agency this. “Our goal is to create a commercially viable league that features high quality on-court competition and respects the rich tradition of European basketball. And we think that that will better serve fans and players on the continent. ”The Euroleague has been around in one form or another since 1958 and has 18 teams. It is considered the top league in Europe and may be the second-best league in the world. Some NBA players have spent time developing their skills in that league. Tatum said that the NBA is aiming for a league that will try to maximize the commercial potential of basketball in Europe while also honoring the European basketball traditions.
The NBA has a problem that was not anticipated when the league started to put together its European plans. Tariffs and European Union’s reaction to the levies. Then there are the people who would purchase tickets and merchandise. Will Europeans be open to an American business coming to the continent under present conditions and sentiments? Tatum claimed “there are big markets in Europe that aren’t being serviced today, where there are millions of basketball fans that aren’t being serviced.” That is true in the case of London and Rome but there are teams in Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Athens, Milan, Berlin and Munich which are all big markets. The NBA is not in the business of just providing some entertainment, The NBA is in the business of making money and if it pushes out the EuroLeague to do so, so be it.
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Mark Tatum, NBA Deputy Commissioner
