The International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the North American League (NBA) and the Euroleague on Friday admitted the call to “talk about the unification of European basketball”, which has collapsed since the Euroleague split in 2000.
“A mid-September meeting was held to discuss the unification of European basketball,” the federation said in a statement, at the initiative of the International Basketball Federation and in the presence of the Euroleague.
The Euroleague organizes the private and almost closed competition which is currently the most popular continental tournament in Europe.
The International Basketball Federation, in response to a report from the Spanish sports newspaper Marca, added, “As a key agent in the growth of our sport and a long-time collaborator of the International Basketball Federation, the National Basketball Association was invited and participated in the meeting.” He announced plans to create the NBA Europe.
“European and world basketball came close to facing an unprecedented earthquake in the history of its competitions. As Marca learned, the National Basketball Association and the International Basketball Federation have already begun negotiating the creation of the European Basketball League (NBA Europe), the European division of the best league in the world. The world..negotiations are on the right track so that this division can see the light of day in the near future.”
He denied the Euroleague on Friday.
“The issues discussed at that meeting never included the creation of an EBA division in Europe,” the EBA said in a statement.
Without clearly specifying the details of the project, Marca indicated that the new competition would replace the European League but would not be integrated into the current North American Championship.
Regardless of whether the project bears the prestigious NBA stamp or not, the tripartite agreement will put an end to calendar coincidences between Euroleague and FIBA international matches, which sometimes lead to scheduling conflicts.
clv / jr / dr / psr