The NBA goes global?

David Stern, regardless of what people think of him is a visionary. He took the NBA when it had many problems and managed to turn it into the most popular sports league in the world, ahead of the UEFA Champions League or the NFL. Even in countries where basketball has no tradition, people are aware of Michael Jordan, Shaq and all the other NBA superstars. And from the look of it, he isn't going to stop. The NBA will continue to pursue opportunities overseas that no other league can even dream of.
Last year, during the NBA pre-season, when NBA teams were touring Europe, Vlade Divac made a very interesting proposal that would eventually bring the NBA to Europe.
The idea is that when the NBA expands to Europe, it doesn't do it with just one team, but with 5 teams that enter the league simultaneously and form a new European division.
While at this point in time, the idea sounds insane, that might not be the case in a few years. David Stern himself admitted that such a thing won't happen, at least for a decade.
So what are the obstacles that won't allow the NBA to make such a move?
One would think that traveling across the Atlantic every month or so would be exhausting for the teams and their players, but David Stern doesn't believe this is the biggest problem the NBA would have to face. The technology after all continues to improve, and in a decade or so, for all we know, flying from New York to London, won't take more than an hour or two.
The main problem at this point in time is the lack of NBA-caliber facilities in major european cities. So until the NBA finds 5 cities, with arenas that fit NBA standards as well as 5 ownership groups willing to spend the expansion/relocation fee, the NBA's European Division will have to wait.


Last year when this discussion took place, the only arena in Europe that could host NBA games according to David Stern is the Kolnarena, in Cologne, Germany, one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe.


The second arena of such standards that was recently completed is the O2 Arena in London and the plan is for the arena to host NBA regular season games some time in the future.
Real Madrid, the team for whose front-office Vlade Divac works for, has announced its plans to build a similar arena and the same is true for two other major european cities: Berlin and Moscow.
A division with teams in Berlin, Cologne, London, Madrid and Moscow, doesn't sound too bad now, does it?
Even if the ownership groups are found and the arenas are built, there are still some problems that need to be solved before the NBA makes such a move. While Real Madrid or CSKA Moscow are basketball powerhouses, countries such as England or Germany don't have much of a basketball tradition and it remains to be seen whether the fan interest in an NBA team will be able to keep them there for a long time. Also, even in cities such as Madrid or Moscow, soccer is far more popular than basketball and it is impossible to know if the teams will be able to draw huge crowds for 41 nights.
As difficult as it appears to be in the year 2007 to make such a move, what cannot be disputed is that if there is one sports league that can attempt something like this with a chance of success, it's definitely the NBA.

In the meantime, David Stern, who is always 2 steps ahead of everyone else, is already planning of starting minor leagues in Asia, Latin America or Africa.

It might take some time before the NBA becomes the WBA (World Basketball Association), but one day it probably will happen.