EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejūnas is trying to talk the NBA and FIBA out of forming a new European league, he told The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov.
“We don’t need a new league. We are doing really good,” Motiejunas said. “The league is growing. We’re happy to go and do it together with NBA and continuously use their power to grow the basketball in Europe. So we’re open to that.”
Motiejunas held what he decribed as a positive meeting with NBA and FIBA reps and indicated another meeting would be held in September.
“They have a really strong image. They can help with TV deals,” Motiejunas said of a potential partnership with the NBA. “They can help with sponsorship. We can grow the pie bigger if we go and work together. This is always the same message. We need to care about the basketball, the basketball fan, and if we can monetize the game better — and we believe that with the NBA, we can do it better — that’s the strength that we could get them to bring in, and then it comes from that. But we have a huge fan base. We have 25 years of history. This is what we said to them. Why not sit down and see how we go and make decisions together, rather than just creating a new league and for them to start over? This is basically our message.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum have been holding meetings with potential stakeholders in a new overseas league.
We have more international news:
- Former NBA forward Anthony Lamb has signed a two-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem, according to a team press release. Lamb played last season for Italy’s Trento, averaging 15.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. In EuroCup games, Lamb averaged 13.7 points and shot 40% from beyond the arc. Lamb played 62 games (four starts) for the Warriors during the 2022/23 season and averaged 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 19.3 minutes. Lamb played for the New Zealand Breakers the following season and averaged 19.5 points per game until he injured his Achilles tendon.
- Wizards forward Kyshawn George, who is entering his second NBA season, will play for Canada in the FIBA AmeriCup in late August, Libaan Osman of the Toronto Star tweets. George is expected to have a featured role in the tournament, Osman adds. The 24th pick of the 2024 draft played 68 games with Washington in his rookie season, including 38 starts. He averaged 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 26.5 minutes.
- Former NBA forward Andre Roberson is departing the EuroLeague and signing with Zenit St. Petersburg, according to Sportando. Roberson averaged 8.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with ASVEL Villeurbanne. Robertson, 33, appeared in 307 NBA games but hasn’t been in the league since a five-game stint with Brooklyn during the 2020/21 season.