'The way all of us see it...' - Adam Silver on NBA expanding to Europe

Adam Silver recently spoke about the chances of the NBA expanding to Europe. The league commissioner of the USA's biggest league had a meeting with the NBA Board of Directors in which the FIBA Secretary was also present. Adam gave an update on the potential expansion of the league to Europe. Given the popularity of the league, there is a demand for the expansion.

Some of the top teams in the world apart from the USA are from Europe. Teams like France, Greece, and Serbia have some of the best players in the world. The talks for the expansion of the league to Europe have been happening for a long time. However, there have not been any major steps taken towards it by the NBA or the FIBA.

Mike Vokurnov recently spoke about the possibility of Europe having the extension of the NBA. He claimed that one of the possibilities was to have the European players take part in the league concentrating on the continent with a separate league featuring players from the European continent with investment from the Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia. However, Adam had a different opinion after the conclusion of the meeting.

'It's not just about a basketball opportunity' - Adam Silver

He felt the discussion of the expansion of the sport has to do with the commercial activities. He felt there have been instances where the discussion about the expansion happened even in the past. Silver added that there is a need for them to demonstrate if the league is feasible to be marketed. He claimed that the meeting focused on seeing if there is a market that can help the sustainability of the league in Europe.

"Where we are in terms of the level of interest in basketball is not commensurate with the level of commercial activities. The way all of us see it, it’s not just about a basketball opportunity. We’ve been in this position in our league before where if you can’t demonstrate to the market that you can’t run a successful business it’s not sustainable," said Adam Silver.