NEW YORK — The National Basketball Association (NBA) is gearing up to update its teams on Thursday about its ongoing efforts to strengthen ties with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and take a more prominent role in European basketball. This update will occur during the proceedings of the league’s Board of Governors meeting.
The session aims to involve team owners in important discussions and offer them an opportunity to hear first-hand from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The focal point of these talks will revolve around the latest developments in the NBA’s strategic discussions with FIBA. However, a conclusive plan is not anticipated to emerge from this meeting.
For quite some time now, the NBA and FIBA, the global authority for basketball, have been in active discussions about introducing a new annual competition in Europe, or potentially starting an NBA-managed league in the region. This topic was previously broached during a Board of Governors meeting in September, where FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis was in attendance to participate in the discussions.
Commissioner Silver plans to address the media at a news conference concluding Thursday’s meeting, where he is expected to shed light on the progress and future steps concerning the NBA’s ambitions in Europe. This follows his comments made during the NBA Paris Games last January, where the league leveraged its presence in France to engage with European basketball stakeholders. During that time, Silver had expressed confidence in the NBA’s progress, stating that the league was “on track” to expand its influence across Europe. It was then that he also mentioned the division’s intention to elaborate further on their European plans at the upcoming March assembly.