NBA London: Global Games reflect growing international influence
By Adam McGee
As the Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 114-103 in the latest chapter of one of the NBA’s most storied and historic rivalries on Thursday afternoon, 11 flags hung high above the O2 Arena’s court.
The Star-Spangled Banner and the Union Jack presided over one end of the court, as has long been customary for NBA London games, but a look over to the fabric hanging above the respective team’s benches gave a much more accurate representation of the state of the NBA in 2018.
To represent the international players suiting up for both teams, the flags of Australia, Cameroon, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Nigeria and Turkey draped proudly from the rafters. With a quick scan through the sold-out crowd, even more flags could be easily identified.
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In total, 10 players who were born outside of the US took to the court in the most global edition of the NBA’s Global Games series yet. That number was far from an anomaly as 108 international players started the current season on NBA rosters, representing an NBA record of 42 countries and territories. To zoom out even further, the NBA has now included at least 100 international players for four straight seasons.
While it shouldn’t be surprising that a sport with wide appeal and relative ease of access is capturing global attention, it can’t be denied that the continued influx of international players is representative of one of the NBA’s most significant shifts in thinking. Standout overseas players aren’t a new feature of the NBA, but the paths those players are taking to the league, and the opportunities afforded to them when they get there are more plentiful than they were in the past.
Players like Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and so many others were drawn to basketball in a very organic way, learning to play with a mindset and freedom that wouldn’t necessarily be easily replicated within the keenly defined structures of youth basketball in America. While star players may always have found their way to the league somehow, the opportunities are extending deeper into rotations too.
The NBA continues to resemble the sporting equivalent of an arms race and, as a byproduct, scouting has become just as important as development work. Even beyond the obvious stars, the top leagues across the world are filled with players capable of coming Stateside and filling valuable rotation minutes on cap-friendly contracts.
Speaking at Wednesday’s practice at CitySport in London, Daniel Theis, who himself was signed by the Celtics from the Bundesliga this summer, painted a picture of a thriving scene in German basketball.
The 25-year-old forward listed Dennis Schröder, Maxi Kleber and Paul Zipser as fellow countryman who have followed a similar path as he has to the NBA, and noted that further prospects coming through the ranks should ensure a strong German presence in the NBA, even as Dirk Nowitzki approaches the latter stages of his career. Focusing on the Bundesliga, Theis simply noted, “There are a lot of guys who can jump to the NBA.”
Theis’ confidence in the standards of international leagues is further supported by the careers and words of his teammates.
After falling out of the NBA in 2016, Celtics guard Shane Larkin spent a year with Baskonia in Spain’s Liga Endesa, earning All-Liga ACB Second Team honors while working his way back to a roster spot in Boston. Rookie Guerschon Yabusele was named an All-Star in China’s CBA as recently as last season, while even a proven NBA veteran like Aron Baynes cut his teeth playing professional basketball for teams in Lithuania, Germany, Greece and Slovenia.
Four-time All-Star and Dominican Republic native Al Horford went as far as to say that a greater awareness of international basketball has crept over into how he studies the game as a professional.
“Now we’re at the point — or at least I am — that I’m looking at other leagues in Europe to see how players are doing,” Horford told The Step Back. “Even seeing some games, [the European] style of play is very unique and there’s a lot of up-and-coming players. It’s pretty amazing how since I’ve been in the league, not only is there a lot of international players here, but there’s also a lot of players who are playing in all of these European leagues who are really, really good.”
While international stars from Toni Kukoc to Manu Ginobili have earned rave reviews for their creativity and technical abilities over the years, the highly skilled international pro is far from a myth.
Now in his 12th season in the NBA, Philadelphia 76ers guard J.J. Redick has played with and against countless players who were born overseas, and he sees coaching practices outside of the U.S. as a key factor in the continued rise of international players.
“I think skill players have a place in this league, and that’s certainly helped overseas players because of how the game is taught [in Europe],” Redick said. “That allows guys to not only have a place in the league, but to stick in the league.”
With international participation and influence in the NBA at record heights, opportunities that extend beyond overseas talent acquisition and cross over into the league’s commercial interests are thriving.
While the chance to act as global representatives for the league and helping to grow the game mean a lot to players and coaches, overseas interest also equates to big business for the league.
Thursday’s game sold out within an hour — also a common occurrence for the previous seven regular season games in London — and many of the questions directed at NBA commissioner Adam Silver in his pre-game press conference focused on what the NBA can do next to continue building momentum.
As the possibility of extra games in London, or adding events in Paris, Berlin, Istanbul, Australia and Africa to the schedule were proposed to him, Silver appeared very receptive. Logistics are a major hurdle for the NBA in expanding their network of events outside of North America, but Silver’s comments suggest the league office seem committed to exploring their options at the very least.
“We could easily sell out two games, three games, four games,” Silver said. “The tickets, as I’m sure if you look, if you go online to the secondary market, the tickets are selling as high as our tickets are priced. We’re not proud of this, but then when they go on to the secondary market, people are charging four and five times what they paid us for them. The demand is there and the interest is there. It’s really more a question of our schedule and whether we can make it work.”
Silver continued, “It may mean that we should look at potentially adding some days to the season. Maybe we should be looking to do some different things with our preseason and shortening that and adding a few more days to the regular season. I would love to do it, but still, we have the same logistical challenges. We will continue to look at it.”
While those same logistical challenges could present a source of frustration for the teams that did make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean, the response from those involved in the 2018 staging of NBA London remained as glowing as ever.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens saw the positives of his team’s lengthy trip as it offered an injection of something different to a grueling 82-game season that is generally rooted in routine.
“It’s good to spend time together. It’s good to have a chance to go to dinner together,” Stevens said. “It’s great to get a chance to play in London, be abroad and experience a brand new city, [to] not know everything about where you’re going to eat. In the 29 NBA cities, when you land you know exactly where you’re going to go eat, you know the running trails and everything else from a coaching perspective.”
On both teams, players spoke positively of the chance to continue the league’s growth and the overall development of basketball as a sport. Naturally, the occasion resonated with international players the most, though.
Even as one of the Eastern Conference’s top-five All-Star vote getters, the platform of the Global Games was not lost on 76ers center Joel Embiid. Not only did the Cameroonian big man express his delight at the chance to showcase his talents in London, but he also laid out his hopes of making an impact in his native Africa in the longer term.
“I’m still trying to grow the game of basketball, especially in Africa,” Embiid said. “I feel we’ve got a lot of talent over there, so it’s my job to go out there and promote the game of basketball. It’s an opportunity for guys to see me, and with me being a role model, they’re wanting to be like me and reach this level.”
Whether the NBA’s schedule ultimately allows additional games to take place in London, elsewhere in Europe, or in other parts of the world outside of North America, the league’s increasing international flavor shows no signs of slowing down.
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The quality of play already makes the NBA stand out to fans across the world, but the continued emergence of superstars like Embiid, Antetokounmpo, Kristaps Porzingis and so many more only add to the considerable momentum.
Basketball has never really been viewed as a leading contender for the titles of America’s Game or America’s Favorite Pastime, but that shouldn’t be viewed as a slight of any sort. Put simply, the NBA belongs to the world.