Speaking on CNBC ahead of the first of two Mavericks/Rockets games in Macau last weekend, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed confidence that the NBA will work out a merger agreement with the Euroleague (video link).
Last week’s report showed that Euroleague shareholders rejected the NBA’s original merger proposal, but at the time it was believed those talks would continue. The NBA, which is partnering with FIBA to create its own Europa League, is expected to either submit a new offer or the EuroLeague to make its own counteroffer.
“It’s like any negotiation, it’s ongoing” Silver told CNBC’s Contessa Brewer, who suggested that talks between the two sides had entered a “difficult period” last week. “I think it’s too extreme to say it’s not an easy situation. We’ve been going back and forth with the Euroleague. … We’re hoping we’ll work something out with the Euroleague. I think we will.”
When Brewer asked if the league office intended to move forward with NBA Europe’s plans with or without the EuroLeague, Silver said: “Yes, but we’ll work something out.”
The NBA commissioner also touched on several other notable topics during two interviews with Brewer on Friday and Sunday. Here are some of the highlights:
On prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket and their impact on the NBA:
“Whether it’s called the prediction market or whether it’s sports betting, those are the same issues for our league, and I think for all leagues, there’s integrity issues first and foremost. Then for us, it’s the desire to capture data so we can regulate those markets, if we see deviations in behavior — whether it’s insider information or whatever, we can detect it. So we want to have access to those data.
“We also want to control the markets. That’s especially true in the prediction markets, where they’re currently taking deals where the coach can be fired, weird behavior that doesn’t necessarily require people to contract or bet. … We want to have control over our intellectual property. We want to make sure we’re protecting the integrity of our competitors.”
On working with Wilson to develop a “smart ball” with a built-in tracker:
(Link to the video)
“We’re experimenting with putting a small chip in the ball that weighs about a gram. For perspective, I understand that the ball weighs about 620 grams, which is about 1.4 pounds. So, even though it’s 1/620 of the weight or so, we wanted to make sure that players who are so perfect and have bounced a million balls wouldn’t feel that something was wrong. So we tested in League G, we tested in the Summer League and we tested the ball with the chip, without the chip and nobody could tell the difference, so that’s a good sign.
“(There are) several different applications. One of them, from a refereeing perspective, we think is the possibility that any change in the ball’s spin, you can tell – for example – if a finger has touched the ball when it goes out of bounds. For goalkeeping, you can tell if the arc has changed during the shot.
“I think there will be other applications, ultimately for consumers. As you know, great shooters spin the ball and arc. So (with) the chip, you’ll be able to plot a graph — say you take 500 shots, then you’ll see the graph and the angle of the shots that have been made and are likely to be made, so you can adjust how to become a better player.
“I think you’ll see — as early as next year — us using it to referee our games. I think the consumer application is a few years away, but it’s a really exciting opportunity.”
On the implementation of player wearables for tracking/data:
“We haven’t come to an agreement with the Players Association yet on how to use it in games. I think there are a lot of sensitive questions – especially from the players’ union – about how that data can be used. I think basically if you see a player slow down or something like that, they’re worried that it could be used in negotiations, and I understand that. So I think we have to come to some sort of agreement on exactly how the information is used, but it seems that everyone wants the information.
“I think players are now in a position where they’re basically wearing wearables 22 hours a day, and the only time they’re not wearing them is when they’re playing a game, so it can’t make sense. So we’re going to come up with something with them.”
