NBA EUROPE IS FANS’ GAIN

Expansion beyond US a ‘great avenue to grow basketball’, says ex-champ Turiaf

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and Victor Wembanyama (France) are some of the leading lights of the National Basketball Association (NBA) today.

But just two decades ago, players from Europe were a rarity in the United States-based competition.

In an era when Europeans are increasingly shaping the NBA, 2012 champion and Frenchman Ronny Turiaf, who was one of the continent’s successful exports to the US, believes an expansion of the league into Europe is overdue and would be a boost for the sport.

Turiaf - a 2.08m centre for the 2012 NBA Championship-winning Miami Heat side that featured stars such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh - is in town as an ambassador for the Sept 18-21 Fiba Intercontinental Cup (ICC) which is held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

“I think once everybody gets on the same page, it could be a great avenue to grow the game of basketball,” the 42-year-old told The Straits Times in an interview at the Pan Pacific Singapore on Sept 18.

“I think there is a chance for it to be a massive thing (for basketball in Europe). I can only see value in adding something different to this game that we all love by having all those great protagonists coming together at the same table to really provide something of value for the fans.