The NBA project in Europe, or how to “marry” the best in European basketball with what the “best” league

One month has passed since the announcement that shaken European basketball. At the end of March, during a press conference alongside the Secretary General of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), Andreas Zagklis, the powerful boss of the NBA, Adam Silver, formally expressed the main North American League of ” Explore the possibility of launching a league ” On the continent. In doing so, he laid the first milestones of a project long perceived as a sea serpent. If no specific calendar has been established and that the “Exploratory phase” is still in progress, George Aivazoglou, executive director of the NBA in Europe and the Middle East, specifies the contours Monde.

“At no time will it be a secondary or development league for the NBA”immediately underlines the 44 -year -old Greek, while the continent is one of his main talent nurseries (15 % of players are from it). The body wants, he said, “Build the most prestigious club competition in Europe”. Because, for the League, as for many players in the community, the potential of basketball is not fully exploited on the continent, where it is however the second collective sport in number of practitioners.

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