Adam Silver Comments on Potential NBA Expansion in Europe

Talk of European expansion in the NBA has been prevalent for quite some time, and while Commissioner Adam Silver believes it could happen eventually, nothing is imminent on that front.  

According to the Associated Press (h/t NBCSports.com), Silver called European expansion discussion "premature." He also doesn't see it happening "in the very near future," but he didn't rule it out entirely by stating it "could happen one day."

While Silver was noncommittal about the subject, he addressed it at length back in January. Per Owen Gibson of the Guardian, Silver referenced some of the challenges that would come with going all-in on NBA teams in Europe:

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My sense is that the NFL is a little bit ahead of us in terms of their timeline for having a franchise based in London. There are some aspects of their schedule that make it easier—they play once a week, they have fewer games. ... It will be easier logistically for them to pull it off. It would be difficult for us to have one team in Europe. We'd have to put both feet down. That would mean having four franchises in Europe.

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At the same time, some of Silver's other comments suggested that he had great desire to incorporate Europe into the NBA at some point, according to Gibson: "We're not there yet. I know that as much growth as we've seen, we have a long way to go before we can sustain four franchises in Europe. On the other hand, I believe it’s our manifest destiny to expand."

The league continues to make strides in terms of generating worldwide interest. According to NBA.com, NBA teams will play seven games outside the United States and Canada in 2015-16, including one regular-season game each in London and Mexico City.

The NBA also staged its first-ever game in Africa back in August, which speaks to how wide-reaching the game has become.

Expanding to Europe would be a huge undertaking that would take a great deal of planning in order to make it successful due largely to travel concerns.

If Silver truly wants to make his mark as commissioner, though, European expansion could be the move that defines his tenure and revolutionizes American sports forever.

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