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Marc Stein: NBA commissioner Adam Silver has named Toronto’s Darko Rajaković as head coach for Team World in next weekend’s All-Star Game. Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff and San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson will coach the two USA teams. The full roster breakdown will be announced later today.
Silver, the NBA commissioner, is working to stand up a new league in Europe through the deep pockets of sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East, traditional investment firms in the U.S. and Europe, powerhouse European soccer clubs, and a lucrative media rights deal. To begin with, it will be a 16-team league, with 12 teams holding permanent licenses and the other four spots open to virtually any pro team on the continent that can win enough to qualify. The NBA is targeting London, Rome, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, Athens, Istanbul, Manchester (England) and Lyon (France) for cities with licensed, permanent teams.
There are legitimate pro teams in each of those cities already, other than Rome, but not all of those teams may apply for a license. Two high-ranking basketball officials, one with the NBA in the U.S. and another in Europe, said the NBA wants “to start with a clean slate” in London, where it could cost a new team more than $1 billion to obtain a license. “Just walking the streets here and being in the hotels, I hear from people all the time saying, ‘I’m sleep deprived following your league,’ (in the U.S.),” Silver told The Athletic during an interview in London, prior to the Memphis Grizzlies-Orlando Magic game at London’s O2 Arena.
A White House event in which commissioners from five major sports leagues were to appear alongside President Donald Trump as he unveiled the latest plans for the celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary has been postponed due to adverse weather conditions, according to four people familiar with planning for the event. The event was scheduled for Tuesday, but remained subject to change due to the weather and the president’s schedule. According to the people familiar with the event plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because they were not authorized to discuss the event publicly, the White House is seeking to reschedule the event, which it would prefer to do ahead of the Super Bowl. That may prove difficult, however, due to the continuing low temperatures and the challenge of ensuring all of those involved in the event can make it to the Oval Office at the same time on the same day.
Chris Haynes: With Giannis Antetokounmpo announcing he’ll likely be sidelined 4-6 weeks with that lingering calf strain, means he’ll be forced to sit out the All-Star game. NBA commissioner Adam Silver will need to pick a replacement.
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Real Madrid appears to be following the path of NBA Europe. The Spanish team, who have yet to renew its EuroLeague contract, could be pioneers in the new project that is on the horizon. As confirmed by Jorge Garbajosa, president of FIBA Europe, on COPE’s Tiempo de Juego program, the Spanish team’s interest is genuine. “We know that Real Madrid has shown interest, and the NBA is in direct, high-level talks with the club,” Garbajosa told COPE. “We know it’s an interesting option for them, as it is for other clubs, as Adam Silver said the other day,” he continued.
Following the NBA commissioner’s press conference in Berlin and the subsequent meeting in London, the NBA Europe project appears to be laying its groundwork. “The feeling we have is that this has gotten underway, that this is going to happen,” confirmed Garbajosa himself.
Charles Barkley: "Well, let me say this. I think Adam Silver, who I love and respect, made a huge mistake. Listen, man. Quit screwing around with the All-Star game. Make it international against the US. All this you play a team, you play a team and all this other stuff..." "I've been saying for 10 years the—the international team against the United States team would be a perfect scenario. The reason they don't want to do it is because the international team will kick our ass. That's exactly why they won't do it." "I mean, probably the—the top four, five players in the NBA today are—are international players, but it would be great. We don't have to win. It's kind of like the Olympics. I don't think it'll be the worst thing in the world if the United States didn't win. I think it'll be actually a boom if another country won."
The commissioners of four major U.S. sports leagues are in conversations over being present at the Oval Office next week when President Donald Trump unveils the latest plans regarding the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. Four people briefed on the planning, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter, confirmed to The Athletic that the NFL’s Roger Goodell, the NBA’s Adam Silver, the NHL’s Gary Bettman and MLB’s Rob Manfred are currently set to attend the event. The exact date may be subject to change in accordance with the president’s schedule and the schedules of those expected to be in attendance. The White House and the four major leagues did not respond to requests for comment.
The commissioners of four major U.S. sports leagues are in conversations over being present at the Oval Office next week when President Donald Trump unveils the latest plans regarding the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. Four people briefed on the planning, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter, confirmed to The Athletic that the NFL’s Roger Goodell, the NBA’s Adam Silver, the NHL’s Gary Bettman and MLB’s Rob Manfred are currently set to attend the event.
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So LDLC ASVEL, whose contract with the EuroLeague expires in June, is expected to be part of the NBA Europe, probably with the club being sold, at least partially, to a new investor. The other big bet is Paris. Per Eurohoops sources, Paris Basketball at the moment is excluded from any talks with the NBA for a variety of reasons, so the obvious target is to lure PSG into the fold, as Adam Silver openly said. There’s no reaction yet from Paris Saint-Germain, other than that in the past they have admitted that there are talks.
The NBA is currently planning a separate league in Europe. What do you think about that? Dirk Nowitzki: I'm curious about that too. We don't even have any locations yet, and it's supposed to start in a year and a half. Seriously, respect, that's a tough timeframe. The European model with promotion and relegation is interesting; it's very, very important, as it's part of what our European sports culture is based on. It makes the league more exciting. In the NBA, if you have a bad first half of the season, you basically have nothing left to play for in the last 40 games. That makes it a bit hard to watch. With the European model, there's something at stake right up to the end, for example, in the relegation battle. But I'm also curious to see how it's going to work; the EuroLeague is still around, and that's a good competition.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says he wants to "tap into" Europe's football culture as part of the plans for a proposed European basketball league. Silver says he has spoken to Manchester City and Manchester United, though BBC Sport understands neither intends to have a team should the venture come to fruition.
Silver also confirmed that he has spoken to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris St-Germain as he looks to mix established European teams with new ones. However, reports say the existing EuroLeague - which features Real and Barcelona - has concerns about the new venture, threatening legal action against the NBA should clubs break existing agreements to take part in the new competition.