The NBA commissioner David Stern has told the Guardian that his league plans to hold a regular season game in the near future n England. London's O2 Arena has hosted pre season games every year since 2007 as part of the NBA's Europe Live Tour, and although each of those games sold out there have been growing calls for the league to follow the NFL's example and bring over a competitive fixture.
"The question is yes to that answer," Stern said when asked whether England may host such a game in the near future. "I don't know what you would call imminent, but there is certainly some chance that there will be an announcement by the beginning of next season."
With this year's NBA Finals series between the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics under way, the earliest date for such a fixture would come during the 2010-11 season. That begins in October but with the Lakers already scheduled to play a pre-season game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the O2 Arena at the beginning of the same month, it seems unlikely that any further fixtures would be scheduled before next year.
Stern would not be drawn on any more details but went on to say his league could learn much from both basketball in Europe and the successes of other sports on the continent.
"I'm a big fan of European basketball," he said. "I think it helps develop great players, and I think the fans can teach us a lot – the Spanish fans, the Greek fans, they have an enthusiasm for the game that is really infectious."
"I follow soccer a little bit," Stern added when asked whether he would be following the World Cup this summer. "But more as a businessman, seeing the Premier League – the issues it has with relegation, ownership and the absence of salary caps and all kinds of good things. Even though they're worlds apart [from the NBA] they're dealing with the same problems."
"The question is yes to that answer," Stern said when asked whether England may host such a game in the near future. "I don't know what you would call imminent, but there is certainly some chance that there will be an announcement by the beginning of next season."
With this year's NBA Finals series between the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics under way, the earliest date for such a fixture would come during the 2010-11 season. That begins in October but with the Lakers already scheduled to play a pre-season game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the O2 Arena at the beginning of the same month, it seems unlikely that any further fixtures would be scheduled before next year.
Stern would not be drawn on any more details but went on to say his league could learn much from both basketball in Europe and the successes of other sports on the continent.
"I'm a big fan of European basketball," he said. "I think it helps develop great players, and I think the fans can teach us a lot – the Spanish fans, the Greek fans, they have an enthusiasm for the game that is really infectious."
"I follow soccer a little bit," Stern added when asked whether he would be following the World Cup this summer. "But more as a businessman, seeing the Premier League – the issues it has with relegation, ownership and the absence of salary caps and all kinds of good things. Even though they're worlds apart [from the NBA] they're dealing with the same problems."
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