The NBA for months "has been discussing an end to the Olympic basketball Dream Team movement and delivering its superstars to a proposed rebranding of the world championships called 'The World Cup of Basketball,'" according to Adrian Wojnarowski of YAHOO SPORTS. Sources said that NBA Commissioner David Stern has been “vague on the league’s motivation for pushing to enter an under-23 team for future Olympics and shifting the sport’s biggest stars to participation in the world championships, but the change of course is largely motivated by financial benefits.” For the use of its “most marketable players, the league office and many NBA owners are determined to create a financial partnership with FIBA for a World Cup that would allow the NBA to significantly share in the windfall of revenues.” A league source said, "The owners would be a lot more comfortable letting star players play internationally if they’re sharing in the revenue." As constituted now, the IOC "has control of the Olympic basketball tournament and most of the revenue it generates." Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban said that he “isn’t aware of the NBA’s specific intentions in possibly moving its star players to the rebranded World Cup." Cuban added that he "has lobbied for much more complete control of the tournament.” He sees “no reason to partner with FIBA or anyone else,” as he wants the NBA “to own, operate and profit on a global tournament using the league’s stars.” Cuban: "If done correctly, it can be NBA-owned and operated and have the potential to be just as large as the World Cup of soccer. That is a product, in my opinion, we want to own, not share” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/19).
