Former NBA Execs Launch New British Basketball Association

U.S.-based businessmen and former NBA execs today are planning to launch the British Basketball Association (BBA), which could see EPL club owners "set up professional basketball teams to play in a new British league under their football brand names," according to Roger Blitz of the FINANCIAL TIMES. The BBA said that it "tried to co-operate with the British Basketball League but now intends to set up its own league -- initially of eight teams in major cities playing 42 games a season -- to start in November 2010." ManU Owner the Glazers, Aston Villa Owner Randy Lerner and Liverpool co-Owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are "investor targets" for the new league. BBA officials yesterday met with NBA Commissioner David Stern "to discuss the proposals," under which a US$25M launch plan would "enable BBA clubs to pay between five and 10 times the wages paid in the BBL." The BBA would "at first own a majority of each club and provide working capital to help the clubs market and finance their teams" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 10/6).

EUROPEAN EXPANSION: NBA Commissioner David Stern is in London for tonight's Jazz-Bulls game and he noted this is the third year the league has played preseason games in the U.K. Stern: "We're growing our sport and we see the Olympics in 2012 being a huge opportunity to impact fans in the U.K." He said the NBA is "getting closer" to launching a Europe-based league, but he did not give a specific date. Stern: "We've talked about it. There are only two NBA-style arenas now. ... But we expect there to be more, and down the road there will be, I believe, an NBA division of teams playing in our league in Europe. But I'm not ready to give you a date when that would happen. It's more fun to speculate about it" ("Worldwide Exchange," CNBC, 10/6).

Boozer Thinks London Could Be One Of First European Cities To Land NBA Franchise

LET IT GROW? Jazz F Carlos Boozer said of playing regular season games in Europe, "I think that's something David Stern and the NBA want to try to do is expand our league to two teams over in Europe -- and I think London is probably one of the first places they would look at it." He added, "It would be exciting for all of us to come over here and play four, five games -- not to come all the way to London and play one game or two games, and then fly back home. If they have four or five teams in Europe that we can go around to, I think it would be exciting for guys." Bulls GM Gar Forman, whose team also is in London, said, "I could see where it could work, if you have a division over here with, whatever, five teams." Jazz coach Jerry Sloan: "I guess it's always a possibility, but if you played one game it looks to me like you need a couple days to get your feet back on the ground. I could see two or three games, if you came a couple days before you played" (DESERET NEWS, 10/6).