Today's Knicks-Bucks NBA Global Games matchup at London's O2 Arena marks the fifth regular-season game there since '11, but while it "sold out in hours," an NBA team in Europe "remains a long way off," according to Matt Dickinson of the LONDON TIMES. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver yesterday said that the league "would need four franchises in Europe to make scheduling work." Silver: "It would be difficult for us to have one team in Europe. We would have to put both feet down. We aren’t there yet. We have a long way to go before we can sustain four franchises in Europe. It’s still just a vision" (LONDON TIMES, 1/15). He added, "My sense is that the NFL is a little bit ahead of us in terms of their timeline for having a franchise based in London. There are some aspects of their schedule that make it easier -- they play once a week, they have fewer games." Silver did acknowledge that arena infrastructure "was improving across Europe with U.S.-style arenas in place or under construction in England, Germany, France and Spain." Meanwhile, Silver said that the regular-season games played in London are "attracting new fans rather than preaching to the converted." Silver: "We are reaching new audiences. Each time we come, we learn from prior experiences and mistakes we’ve made. When we play here, I think there is an audience that might not normally watch simply because the match is here" (GUARDIAN, 1/15). NBA Senior VP & Managing Dir of Europe, the Middle East & Africa Ben Morel said establishing an NBA franchise in London is a “fantastic long-term goal” but will take a lot of work. Morel is erring on the side of caution about the possibility of a franchise, pointing out that London would need to be part of a Europe-wide NBA division for it to flourish and work logistically. Morel: “That requires a lot of work, building the fan affinity, building the economics of basketball. But that is also why we stage those games as it’s a good experience for us” (John Reynolds, SBD Global Correspondent).
BUCKING THE TREND: In Milwaukee, Meg Jones in a front-page piece writes the NBA wants to "boost its popularity" in England, and "judging by ticket sales for Thursday night's game ... the NBA is doing quite well." In some countries, including Turkey, Spain and Italy, basketball "is already huge," but in England, basketball "is far behind soccer and even cricket and darts." There were 101 players "from 37 countries and territories ... on opening night rosters this season." Bucks C Zaza Pachulia, a native of Georgia, said, "The NBA is doing a great job of taking the game globally. It's good for the players because we're getting a bigger fan base." Jones notes the Bucks "have embraced the trip to London, arriving a day earlier than the Knicks." At last Friday's game at BMO Harris Bradley Center, the team "organized London-themed music performances, gave English soccer-style Bucks scarves to fans, and sold fish and chips and bangers and mash at concession stands" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/15). Also in Milwaukee, Charles Gardner reports Bucks players "seem to grasp the opportunity they will have before a sold-out crowd at the O2 and an international TV audience." The stage "could be set" for F Giannis Antetokounmpo, the "20-year-old native of Greece and one of the young international stars in the league" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/15).
