Adam Silver confirms talks with Real Madrid and reveals the goal of NBA Europe

Adam Silver, speaking at a press conference in Berlin on the occasion of the game between the Orlando Magic and the Memphis Grizzlies, talked about NBA Europe and confirmed that he has held talks with Real Madrid and others. Below are his statements.

On the talks with Real Madrid:
“I’m not ready to confirm any specific news. I can confirm that we have had discussions with Real Madrid and other Spanish clubs as well. But as I said, part of this initial round of discussions, which has been going on for some time, I would place more in the category of fact-finding and making sure that I fully understand what we would do in terms of long-term investment, further investments in European basketball. Therefore, it would be premature at this point to talk about more specific conversations with clubs.”

On possible legal letters from EuroLeague:
“I send legal letters to my lawyers and let them handle them. I don’t believe at all that a confrontation is inevitable. I think there is an opportunity to grow European basketball. We don’t think of ourselves, even in the United States, as something that necessarily competes with other basketball organizations or other sports organizations. We are competing to capture people’s attention.”

On the goal of NBA Europe:
“If I thought that EuroLeague had reached the ceiling of its potential in terms of fan interest, I wouldn’t be devoting so much time to this project. As many of you know, I’m a big fan of European football. I’m amazed by the sense of belonging and identity—almost tribal—that comes from the love and support for these organizations. And that, for me, is exactly our goal. There is plenty of room to be a fan of both your favorite football team and your favorite basketball team. That’s what I’m focused on right now. Just as these great football clubs, whose most glorious traditions we could list, have followers all across the United States, Asia, South America, and so on. That’s what makes these sports organizations so special. And that would be the same objective we seek to achieve with a new league here in Europe.”