By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
With basketball becoming more and more global, the news that the Adelaide 36ers beat the Phoenix Suns in a pre-season game is not just a footnote.
Once more it was proven that the level of basketball played outside the NBA is not that different than the top league in the world and while the NBA has its own agenda, EuroLeague has also its own options of extending outside the European borders.
The talks had started in last season’s Final Four not only with Dubai as potential investors but also with the Australian NBL for some kind of collaboration, starting with pre-season games.
Former EuroLeague Champions David Andersen was among the representatives from Australia that came for talks in Serbia, while Dubai also had its own presence.
As SDNA reported first, Dubai is interested in a variety of possible collaborations, starting with just sponsoring deals and ending with hosting the Final Four and even adding their own team to the league.
Per Eurohoops sources, the club scenario should be considered at best a 50%-50% chance at this point, however, next week on the 11th of October a meeting between the Dubai officials and the shareholders of the EuroLeague will be held, which can pave the way for this collaboration.
It’s obvious at this point that there are opportunities for the EuroLeague to extend its reach beyond Europe, something that proves once again the untapped potential of the competition.