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Bane is officially listed as American by the NBA but has Nigerian heritage and is yet to represent any nation on the international stage. Having qualified for their first Olympics at London 2012, Nigeria's basketball team went on to also compete at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, but missed out on the 2024 Games in Paris. "I would for sure," said the shooting guard when asked about the possibility of answering the call if it came. "We just need to get all the Nigerians together for the Olympics coming up in the next couple years and make something happen."
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.
Investment firm Qatar Sports Investments, which owns soccer giant Paris St. Germain, has been linked to Silver’s venture for Paris and is just one of the groups interested in either partnering with existing basketball clubs or starting new teams in targeted cities. According to league sources, investment groups with ownership of five percent or less of an NBA team will be permitted to own an NBA Europe team.
According to L’Équipe, Adam Silver is considering PSG the main option in Paris for the project. “They play at the highest level of competition (in soccer), and they have the know-how to operate a basketball club at the highest level, if they’re interested. Yes, it’s a club we’re talking to,” the NBA commissioner commented in a roundtable in London on Saturday.
Mark Tatum, Adam Silver’s second hand, emphasized the desire of being in Paris for NBA Europe. “Paris is a market we absolutely want to be in,” he said. “There’s their ability to create a brand, a culture, their association with the Jordan brand (Michael Jordan’s), which is linked to basketball. We’re looking for the right partners for our project, and PSG brings a very interesting level of expertise in terms of marketing, promotion, and building a global brand.”, Tatum commented.
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Jean-Pierre first heard about Coulibaly from Washington assistant coach David Vanterpool, who bought a painting and helped connect the two Francophones. Coulibaly is from Paris, Jean-Pierre is Haitian American, and the two switched between English and French throughout the session. “In the artist statement for that exhibition, I talked about how D.C. is a Chocolate City for sure and the Wizards are here as a kind of stalwart,” the artist said. “… Paris is a Chocolate City, Cape Town is a Chocolate City, Johannesburg, Dakar. … Just thinking about people and place and how we’re all connected by water. So I feel a kinship with [Coulibaly] to a certain extent.”
You’ve said that you’ve liked Tuomas’ ideas as first-year head coach. What has that collaboration been like so far? Aldama: “He’s obviously very numbers-driven. He reads the game at a very high level. I’ve been lucky enough to be with teammates with the [Spanish] national team that have played a very similar style of basketball. He coached for Paris, and Valencia plays a very similar style. So throughout the whole summer, I spent time with three or four guys that played that same style of basketball. We had a sneak peek with the last nine games and the playoffs. But now being back with Coach, I’m chopping it up and understanding where to get the advantages and what they’re doing in Europe and how it translates to NBA offenses.”
Paris Basketball’s rise is a rapid one. American David Kahn, a former sports writer, lawyer and Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations, bought the rights and absorbed the debts of a French second division team, Hyères-Toulon, and relocated them from the south of France to Paris in 2018. They were promoted to the French first division, known as the LNB elite, in 2021, and for the past two seasons have also competed in the EuroLeague — the premier basketball league on the continent. Kahn, unfortunately known for passing up on Stephen Curry twice in the 2009 NBA draft while at the Timberwolves, has created a harmonious culture in Paris, one where decision-makers are aligned and share the same vision, said Francesco Tabellini, Paris Basketball’s current head coach. Khan, the club’s president, general manager James Newman and co-owner Eric Schwartz are the teams decision makers. “I think he (David) has tried since Paris Basketball was established to bring coaches here that were playing fast basketball,” Tabellini told The Athletic from his Parisian office.
Paris, London, Manchester, and Berlin have hosted—or will host—NBA regular-season games. Another major European city, Madrid, might be joining that list in the future. Spain's capital, considered for a potential NBA Europe project, is home to the iconic Bernabeu Stadium, which was recently renamed after Real Madrid dropped "Santiago" from its venue's name for marketing and corporate purposes.
Coach emphasized the importance of fan and media interest in major cities. "In cities like Paris, London, and Manchester. If there is no interest in these cities, how will a strong league be created? First, there must be interest, and the interest is created by journalists," the coach explained. "They need to seriously consider this because it's a very dangerous situation for European basketball."
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NBA Europe managing director George Aivazoglou confirmed that the project will launch in October 2027, adding that teams from Rome, Milan (Italy), London, Manchester (United Kingdom), Paris, Lyon (France), Madrid, Barcelona (Spain), Berlin, Munich (Germany), one team from Athens (Greece) and Istanbul (Turkiye) will be playing in the competition.
Maz Sport Agency: Another step for #MazSportFamily Mohamed Diawara, 51st pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, signs a standard NBA contract. Developed in Paris, shaped through Poitiers and Cholet, and crowned 2024 U20 European Champion, his journey now continues on basketball’s biggest stage. 🙌🏾
Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton were the two holdovers from the last World Cup team to play for the U.S. in Paris. “We have some time, and one of the great things is to see who emerges,” Hill said. “You have two years before the World Cup, and it seems like every season there are players who take a step in their development and become better players, all star players, players whose games translate to international play. “It’s great to get these players in the pipeline,” Hill continued. “The great thing is, yes, the world is getting better, but we are too. We still have some great players in this country, great young players. And you know, it’s on me to get out and recruit and you know, sort of share with guys the importance of doing this.”
His first few years in the league, Shai immersed himself in high fashion: climbing the Met Gala steps; walking a Thom Browne show in Paris; peppering Virgil Abloh with design questions over text. These days, though, he’s mostly over the luxury brand stuff. “You go to Rodeo Drive and every NBA player is there fighting to get the same pieces, you know what I mean?” Shai says. “You can always tell when someone has real taste and when they’re just wearing it because it was on Instagram.” The few guys he looks up to, fashion-wise, have that authenticity in spades: 2Pac, Kanye, A$AP Rocky, Lil Yachty. “You can see who they are in what they wear.”