Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA, did not close the door on Saturday to the possibility that league franchises and international teams – for example from the Euroleague – compete in the future in an official tournament in the middle of the calendar.
Silver appeared before the media during the NBA All-Star, which is being held this weekend in Salt Lake City (Utah, USA).
When asked if it would be possible in the future to have some kind of competition or tournament outside of friendlies between NBA franchises and international teams, Silver began his answer by recalling the experience of the McDonald’s Championship in the 80s and 90s.
“This is something that we will continue to examine. I think it is a question of creating the best possible competition. Part of the problem is (the difference between) the cycle of our season with that of the Euroleague,” he reflected.
Silver commented in this regard that it would not make sense, for example, for the champions of the NBA Finals, after a long season, to play another tournament afterwards.
Then, the commissioner cited the possibility of the ‘in-season tournament’, a tournament in the middle of the season that the NBA has been considering for years and that could be reminiscent, saving the distances, of the Copa del Rey basketball in Spain.
“We’ve talked about the ‘in-season tournament’ to create additional excitement during the regular season. At some point there may be an ‘in-season tournament’ but it includes teams from outside the NBA. Those are all ideas that we will continue analyzing,” he said.
