NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that Paris "could be the next destination" for an international game, according to Ian Harrison of the AP. Silver on Thursday said that he had "just emerged from a meeting with executives of AEG, who had proposed a game in Paris." He said the prospect of a game in Paris is ''something that we will look at closely,'' calling France ''a fantastic basketball market" (AP, 1/14). Silver appeared on the BBC on Wednesday to discuss the league’s ventures in London, with BBC’s Katie Gornall saying, “It’s become almost like a second home for the NBA. … The man in charge wants his league to be a global success, not just a passing curiosity.” Silver said, “It’s the manifest destiny of this league to grow. Basketball and soccer, I believe, are the two truly global sports, so I think it is inevitable that at some point we will have franchises outside the United States and once we look seriously outside of the United States, London is always going to be at the top of the list. I promise it is not a tease." But it is "not something that is going to happen in the next few years" (“BBC News,” BBC, 1/13).
BALANCING TRAVEL SCHEDULES: In Toronto, Mike Ganter writes Silver may have been "paying lip service," but it is clear that Raptors F Luis Scola's idea to "make these overseas in-season trips more efficient reached the highest office in the league." Silver: "I will talk to Luis about his views on the travel, because ultimately that’s our desire, to be able to bring more teams and play more games. I will say that logistically in terms of our schedule, we have a fairly dense schedule throughout the season. We’re playing roughly over 165 days, 82 games. So it’s an average of roughly three and a half games a week." He added, "When we take the time out to travel, it creates a denser schedule in other parts of the season. And given what both our players are telling us and the best medical science that is available to us in terms of the need for rest, the impact of travel and crossing multiple time zones, it’s our view that they need the rest on both sides of the matchup here" (TORONTO SUN, 1/15).
LONDON BRIDGE: In London, Luke Augustus wrote everything the NBA "would have wanted to showcase their sport was delivered" during the Raptors-Magic game at the O2 Arena on Thursday night "in front of a primarily partisan Orlando crowd" (DAILYMAIL.co.uk, 1/14). Also in London, Nicholas Gooden noted Thursday's contest was the "sixth NBA game to be held in the capital in the last six years." It was also the "fastest sell-out for a game in London" as tickets were "snapped up within one hour of going on sale" (DAILYMAIL.co.uk, 1/14). The SUN's Ganter notes the Raptors "leave behind a rabid NBA fan base that deservedly received a bonus five minutes of action." The atmosphere in the arena "was electric as it was five years ago" when the Raptors were in London last. There were "plenty of famous faces" in the expensive seats, including chef Gordon Ramsay, former boxer Lennox Lewis and a slew of EPL players (TORONTO SUN, 1/15). The CP's Ian Harrison noted actor Michael B. Jordan also attended the game (CP, 1/14).
