As the NBA is seriously considering to start its own league on the European continent, many of the main executives on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean have been addressing how this will be the inevitable future of the sport. Euroleague Basketball CEO Paulius Motiejunas recently gave his thoughts on the matter.
While speaking at the SportsPro Conference in London this week, he showed his disposition to explore collaborations into the future. “The only way forward, I think, is if it’s together – if we sit down and figure out how to grow the basketball market. In the end, it has to be focused on the fan,” he expressed.
The executive mostly emphasized on how both cultures can learn from each other: “In our culture – just like in football – you’re born into it. Your father puts on the jersey for you, and that’s it. You’re a fan. You don’t have to go and try to get that fan from the street, and I think that’s something they’re missing. It’s going to be difficult to do.”
Motiejunas guaranteed that the EuroLeague is already in a strategic position going forward, and will be wise in chosen partners to further develop the sport. “With a strong partner in IMG and the core markets we already have, the only way forward is together,” he shared.
The CEO shared the panel with IMG President Adam Kelly, who believes the European competition already has a strong structure to build from. “When we came in, we created effectively the first European super league in the structure,” he started out at the SportsPro Conference.
Kelly then added: “We reduced the teams to 16, created this full round robin, home and away, making sure the biggest teams, the biggest brands, the key rivalries were playing each other home and away, guaranteed each season – that was a big part of this flight to premium.”
The IMG President assured he has a solution for the NBA collaboration. “When I listen to George (Aivazoglou) and the NBA, he said on stage yesterday that they have the solution for European basketball and it is two competitions, 16 teams, mainly permanent members and a few slots that can be adjusted up and down; that sounds perfect, it sounds very familiar, and I think that is exactly what should happen.”