Menu
People and Pop Culture

NBA Commissioner David Stern Has Cooled On NBA's European Expansion Talk

There was a time when NBA Commissioner DAVID STERN "had dreams of a team or even a division in Europe, a first in American sports," according to Gary Washburn of the BOSTON GLOBE. Stern was "determined to devise a way" for a group of teams in London, Rome, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona and Berlin to compete with the 30 stateside NBA teams and even have a real world championship series. That idea "seems to have fizzled along with the int'l economy and the lack of NBA-worthy venues overseas." What Stern realized is that many of the Euroleague arenas "are not up to NBA standards." Watching the Boston Celtics take on Emporio Armani Milano last week in Milan, Stern said, “I don’t think having a single team in Europe is practical. What I’ve said is if we’re going to have an NBA presence here in terms of the league, it should be five teams. It’s safe to say that there aren’t enough buildings, there aren’t adequate TV arrangements, we don’t have owners, and I’m not sure we could charge the prices that would be necessary." Stern said that part of the problem is European cities "are not financially prepared to build arenas to house anything more than an exhibition game." Stern seems to be satisfied "playing exhibition games and perhaps one or two regular-season games per year overseas." Aside from that, however, the NBA’s "flirtation with Europe appears done" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/14).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2012/10/15/People-and-Pop-Culture/NBA-Stern.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2012/10/15/People-and-Pop-Culture/NBA-Stern.aspx

CLOSE