NBANFL

NBA Channels Inner NFL, Schedules Games In London

The NFL’s attempt to build on its global brand by scheduling games in London is going pretty well, so why wouldn’t the NBA want to jump in and whip up some London-based games of their own? NBA commissioner David Stern couldn’t figure out why not, either.

And so it goes that on March 4 and 5 of next year, the New Jersey Nets will play the Toronto Raptors at London’s O2 arena. It makes sense for the NBA to do this for many reasons, the first of which is the 2012 Olympics will be in London, and Stern would like fans there to be excited to see NBA stars there. From the AP writeup linked above:

“This, to us, is really within the context of giving as much support as we can to the sport of basketball for the 2012 Olympics,” Stern said. “In Beijing (at the 2008 Olympics), basketball was the hottest ticket. We don’t necessarily expect that to be the case in London, although … I think that there’s a good possibility that basketball will assume a role that folks in the United Kingdom might never have anticipated.”

And then there’s the matter of promoting the NBA as a worldwide entity in general. The Nets and Raptors both seem wise choices on this front – the Raptors because, well, they’re international (and, as nba.com’s Art Garcia notes, have several international players). And the Nets have this guy – enough said.

We contacted the NBA seeking comment on whether the Raptors’ and Nets’ foreign ties played into their selection for this game (we strongly suspect it did, but better to be 100% sure), and will update this post if and when we hear back.

For now, we’ll just say what we know, which is that this was an inevitable, but still smart, step for the NBA. The league may be a long way from a European franchise, but there will never be one – and Stern sure seems like he’d like one, with lines about it like, “It’s certainly something that I and my successors will be considering” – unless they work on expanding their fanbase there first. And the best way to do that: exactly what the Raptors and Nets are doing in March.

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