Does your background, growing up outside basketball’s mainstream on Vancouver Island with English parents, help you appreciate how people in places such as London or Berlin feel when a big NBA game comes to town? Yeah. That’s true. I didn’t watch much basketball on TV until I started playing at 13, so can relate to coming upon something new and exciting. At the same time, the world’s so small now with social media access. But it is interesting to go to parts of the world where basketball is smaller and see how can we make the game accessible to them.
Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker and John Amaechi were guests at the O2. But every team had a foreign player on opening night this season, with 135 players from 43 countries across the league; up from 7% in 1992 to 24% now. Are the current Europeans different to that generation or have they just had more opportunities? Europeans have always been quite good. It’s not like Serbia wasn’t always great at basketball but, as the game has grown, the possibilities grow. The world gets smaller with the internet and social media. There’s not as much difference; everyone has access to all the pertinent information. The NBA is more accessible nowadays to people from Europe, Africa and every corner of the world. It’s only natural that more Europeans have success in the NBA.
Has that international growth surprised you? It was anticipated. It’s been very gradual, from 1992 with the Dream Team. I’m sure it was growing before that, and that was just an inflection point, but it was a moment in time. Since then, there has been a steady growth of overseas players in the NBA and of markets becoming more interested. So we could see it forming, but it truly is spread around the world now.
The last seven MVP awards have gone to players born outside the US. As a previous non-American winner, do you think the next superstar needs to be American? The beauty of the game is that it is global. It’s fantastic that we have star players from all different parts of the world. The diversity is fantastic; it adds an element to the entertainment. If we get a crop of great new players and they’re all American, great. If they’re all international, great. May the best man win! It’s probably cyclical anyway.
Commissioner Adam Silver wants an NBA Europe with teams connected to major football clubs, such as Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Manchester United. As a Tottenham fan, would you love to see a Spurs franchise in NBA Europe? That could be great. Big picture: it’d be really good if the NBA Europe venture takes off. The Euroleague has been great but it doesn’t feel like it’s grown. It’s not going into new markets necessarily, so maybe it’s reached its glass ceiling. So new investment, a new format, new storytelling, a new kind of connection to the history of the game is exciting.
Half of the Euroleague teams are connected to major football clubs, such as Barcelona, Fenerbahce and Real Madrid. Do NBA Europe franchises need to connect to something, to be hung on a major institution? I don’t think so, though it would help if a handful have a connection. It would be great to tap into a fanbase, a recognisable brand in history. But I don’t think it has to. Creating a league, starting new clubs is also a viable way to build a new European competition at the highest level. It could be really strong. It feels like this is happening, but it’s a startup and it takes time and needs investment.
As co-owner of the MLS club Vancouver Whitecaps you saw a new league grow rapidly. How would you like NBA Europe to look? It appears it would start with a smaller number of teams: eight, 10 or 12. Having seen the MLS grow, it’s a similar-ish venture. It’s smart to have attainable progression and a plan that’s not too daunting to start. So, whether it’s getting aligned with certain brands and clubs from the football world, or just going into marquee cities in Europe, there is plenty of room to build a league from eight to 12 teams that continues to elevate the game in Europe and consolidate all the marketing and storytelling interests that get people excited.
Has being a co-owner of Vancouver Whitecaps and Real Mallorca made you think: ‘Oh, I’d like to be involved with a startup in basketball NBA Europe’? I’m not necessarily out there soliciting opportunities, but it would be exciting, and it would be great to be some small part of seeing the game or the league grow into Europe. London would be great. My family’s from London, it’s one of my favourite cities in the world, so it would be fantastic to be a part of it. But more importantly, just to have a team in London would be great.
Basketball is hugely popular in London, with thousands of fans willing to pay £265 to watch the Magic-Grizzlies game, yet professional teams have struggled here. Can NBA Europe be different? London, and the UK in general, is a huge growth opportunity for basketball. It’s not the biggest game here, compared to Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece. All those countries already have their own leagues and history. It’s not been as profound here, not in the zeitgeist, not as important. So there’s a great opportunity to grow a new fanbase and build a team here. It could be a lot of fun.
What have you seen going behind the mic that you didn’t realise before, having always been on the court or in the director’s suite? It feels like they really just want us to be ourselves and talk about the game, almost get away from thinking technically about being a broadcaster and just be like you are with friends talking about the game. That probably speaks to the times: with social media, we’re all used to seeing stuff behind the scenes. So the coverage is moving that way instead of a formula or a formal viewing experience.
Prime are new to the NBA this season, broadcasting three games a week to their worldwide audience. How hard is it to appeal to people in new territories watching basketball for the first time as well as fans who have spent their life in it? There are challenges there. Prime wanted to look at educating and elevating – I think those were the words used – so giving fans different entry points into the game. You don’t want to speak up or down to anyone. You hope there’s enough to cling to for new fans that gets them in and doesn’t make them feel disheartened or alienated – not getting too “in the weeds” with the technical stuff – while also giving enough to excite the experienced fan.
Your brother Martin played football for Stockport, Chester and Macclesfield as well as the Canada national team. He must have enjoyed watching one of his old clubs beating Crystal Palace recently? Yeah, I’m sure he did. My dad played for a couple teams too: Ware and someone in south London, I think. He was only about 19, then went to South Africa. He actually might have played a few games with, and replaced, Glenn Hoddle’s dad [Derek Hoddle] at Ware! My dad was from Tottenham, so that’s a pretty cool thing. London’s always been like a second home to me. Coming back here is always special.
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