The NBA hasn’t played a regular-season game in London since the 2018-19 season but deputy commissioner Mark Tatum is hopeful that will change in the “not-too-distant future”
The NBA hasn’t played a regular-season game in London since the 2018-19 season but deputy commissioner Mark Tatum is hopeful that will change in the “not-too-distant future” The NBA hasn’t played a regular-season game in London since the 2018-19 season but deputy commissioner Mark Tatum is hopeful that will change in the “not-too-distant future”
NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum has given British basketball fans a glimmer of hope, confirming that the league is keen to make a comeback in London. The capital hasn’t seen an NBA London Game since the 2018-19 season with Paris stepping in as the new European host.
However, during a meeting in New York City with Mayor Sadiq Khan last month, both parties expressed a strong desire to see the return of the NBA to British shores. “We had a great meeting here in New York,” Tatum revealed to international media at a press conference before the 2024-25 NBA season tip-off.
“And what he reaffirmed to me is his commitment to investing in and growing the game of basketball in the UK. We’re seeing that excitement grow. We’re seeing the interest in the level of the game grow.
“What he and I talked about was finding ways to bring the NBA back to the UK at some point in the not-too-distant future, and I’m hopeful that we will be able to do that. It’s been a few years since we’ve played NBA regular season games in the UK, but he expressed a commitment to bringing the NBA back – and I expressed an interest in finding ways to do that.”
The NBA’s international allure has never been greater with foreign-born stars seizing the spotlight and snatching six of the last MVP awards. For the upcoming 2024-25 season, a cosmopolitan vibe permeates every team as each boasts at least one non-American talent.
On Opening Night rosters, a record-equaling 125 players from a record-matching 43 nations across six continents represented global basketball. Among them were Brits Jeremy Sochan of the San Antonio Spurs – who plays for Poland internationally – and the New York Knicks‘ OG Anunoby, both tipped to take starting roles in 2024-25.
NBA deputy commissioner discussed a potential comeback of NBA London Games with Sadiq Khan last month
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Image:
Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Cisco Systems, Inc.)
And in the United Kingdom, basketball is soaring in popularity, catching the keen eyes of NBA chiefs. “Basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK right now, and we’re really seeing that growth,” Tatum said.
Evidence shows a stunning 30 per cent rise in the country’s basketball participation since 2022, according to YouGov stats sourced by the NBA. Sport England says 1.5 million Brits hit the court weekly, elevating it as the nation’s second-favorite team sport.
Adding to the buzz, NBA’s fanbase in the UK has expanded by 24 per cent since 2022 per YouGov, particularly thriving among Gen Z where it boasts 2.2 million followers – clinching the spot as the favourite US sports league in Britain among the group.
Mirror – Sport
