NBA teams to hear about plans for future European involvement

NEW YORK (AP) — NBA teams will be briefed Thursday on the league's ongoing quest to further align with FIBA and expand its role in European basketball.

The briefing will be part of the day's session at the league's Board of Governors meeting. While no plan is expected to be finalized at the meeting, it will provide an opportunity for team owners to join in the discussions and hear directly from Commissioner Adam Silver about the latest status of the talks.

The NBA and FIBA, the sport’s global governing body, have been in discussions for some time about adding either an annual competition in Europe or even having an NBA-operated league there. It was a topic at a Board of Governors meeting this past September, one where FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis took part.

Silver is expected to hold a news conference Thursday afternoon when the meeting ends, with the Europe plan — where it stands and what's next — certain to be among the topics he discusses.

In January, speaking at the NBA Paris Games — when the league took advantage of the trip to France to meet with European stakeholders on the topic of the future of basketball on that continent — Silver said he believes the NBA remains “on track” in the process of expanding its footprint in Europe. That was also when he said the league’s governors would be briefed further at the March meeting.

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