FIBA Basketball
ESP - Euroleague plan NBA games
BARCELONA (Euroleague) - The Euroleague is planning to send a number of teams to the United States this summer for a series of games against NBA sides. Although a handful of Euroleague clubs have visited the US in the last few years - most recently Maccabi
BARCELONA (Euroleague) - The Euroleague is planning to send a number of teams to the United States this summer for a series of games against NBA sides.
Although a handful of Euroleague clubs have visited the US in the last few years - most recently Maccabi Tel Aviv who beat the Toronto Raptors and narrowly lost
to the Orlando Magic last summer - those trips have been organised by individual teams.
If it goes ahead, this trip will be organised by the league as a whole.
"We are working right now on which Euroleague teams will go to the States and play against which teams," Euroleague basketball communications director Ferran Marquez told PA Sport.
Negotiations are at an early stage, but the aim of the trip is to help European clubs maximise the returns on their investments in players.
"European clubs invest a lot of money in their teams and pay a lot of money for their players. These clubs need to take more advantage of these teams and these investments," Marquez said.
"They are trying to get a maximum number of games against the best teams in Europe and the NBA to earn more money on their investments."
While not all clubs can make the trip, Marquez believes the Euroleague's agreement with the NBA to schedule competitive games benefits the entire league.
"We have a better chance to equal things out for everyone. This makes it an advantage for the other teams as well. And everyone can then increase their income," he said.
A final decision on the trip is expected in around a month's time.
"After the (Euroleague) Final Four (in Prague from April 28-30), talks will start getting serious I'm sure," Marquez said.
Four NBA teams - the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers - are coming to Europe this year to play games against European teams in six cities; Barcelona, Lyon, Paris, Rome, Moscow and Cologne.
By PA Sport
Although a handful of Euroleague clubs have visited the US in the last few years - most recently Maccabi Tel Aviv who beat the Toronto Raptors and narrowly lost
to the Orlando Magic last summer - those trips have been organised by individual teams.
If it goes ahead, this trip will be organised by the league as a whole.
"We are working right now on which Euroleague teams will go to the States and play against which teams," Euroleague basketball communications director Ferran Marquez told PA Sport.
Negotiations are at an early stage, but the aim of the trip is to help European clubs maximise the returns on their investments in players.
"European clubs invest a lot of money in their teams and pay a lot of money for their players. These clubs need to take more advantage of these teams and these investments," Marquez said.
"They are trying to get a maximum number of games against the best teams in Europe and the NBA to earn more money on their investments."
While not all clubs can make the trip, Marquez believes the Euroleague's agreement with the NBA to schedule competitive games benefits the entire league.
"We have a better chance to equal things out for everyone. This makes it an advantage for the other teams as well. And everyone can then increase their income," he said.
A final decision on the trip is expected in around a month's time.
"After the (Euroleague) Final Four (in Prague from April 28-30), talks will start getting serious I'm sure," Marquez said.
Four NBA teams - the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers - are coming to Europe this year to play games against European teams in six cities; Barcelona, Lyon, Paris, Rome, Moscow and Cologne.
By PA Sport