NBA chief wants to tap into soccer fan culture for new European competition

LONDON, Jan 17 : The passion and tribalism of European soccer fans is something NBA commissioner Adam Silver is hoping will be part of the new basketball competition expected to launch on the continent in the next two years. 

The NBA announced last year that it was exploring options for creating a new European-wide competition in partnership with world basketball body FIBA. 

No teams have been announced but Silver said they were still in discussions with potential investors, while soccer clubs in Spain such as Barcelona and Real Madrid have had basketball teams for many years who compete in the EuroLeague.

Speaking a day before the Memphis Grizzlies meet the Orlando Magic at London's O2 Arena, Silver said there had been discussions with leading European soccer clubs, such as Paris St Germain, and praised the fan culture that produces fierce rivalries, heated matches and deep familial connections.

"We want to design this (European league) for success... it means that the partners who invest in this league will understand that any revenues that exceed expenses... will need to be reinvested in the enterprise and to grow the sport," Silver told reporters at a roundtable in London. 

"To even dream of creating this sort of relevance that these top European football clubs have... that's something that we don't necessarily experience in the U.S., the depth of the religious fervour of some of these clubs, the way that the traditions are passed down from generation to generation. 

"It is something that I wish every American sports fan could experience."

FOREIGN INVESTMENT

According to the Sports Business Journal, the NBA is eyeing franchise fees in the range of $500 million to $1 billion and has hired JPMorgan and The Raine Group to