Ever since last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, talk about a potential NBA expansion in Europe has been growing non stop. Recently, former NBA player Tony Parker updated the situation by talking about some of the ongoing talks between the league’s executives and Euroleague Basketball.
The LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne president, who wishes to enter his team as part of the NBA project in Europe, confirmed his support. “The NBA has contacted me and I am taking part in the discussions,” he told French newspaper L’Equipe in an interview this Wednesday.
The 42-year-old appears to have emerged as a bridge in negotiations, as he’s considered a huge ally of the NBA and currently enjoys the position as team president of a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague club.
“I had a meeting with Adam Silver and Mark Tatum,” Tony assured of entering discussions with the commissioner and deputy commissioner of the NBA. “The idea was to talk about European basketball and bring everyone back to the table, the NBA, EuroLeague, and FIBA.”
The four-time champion with San Antonio believes that even if the Euroleague doesn’t participate, the North American league will somehow find its way.“It is clear. We either reach an agreement or the NBA comes alone. We need to focus on a merger or a partnership,” Parker said on potential outcomes.
According to the former Spurs star, one of the biggest advantages of this merge would be the ever-growing additional marketing value for European clubs, which would now be seen by a much larger market around the globe.
“We would like to participate, but the goal is to join forces to create something never seen before while ensuring that no historic European club is left behind,”Tony said, as he also believes strongly in respecting the European traditions and structure, as a primary condition going forward.
