One of the major contributions made by David Stern during his time as NBA commissioner was expanding the appeal of the game globally. As a result of this, China became the second largest market for the game outside of the United States.
Hoping to maintain and perhaps increase the popularity of the brand there, current commissioner Adam Silver is considering having games scheduled at times to accommodate the market there. Due to the drastic timezone differences between the United States and China, fans over there rarely get to see a live game at a reasonable time for them.
In an interview with Bloomberg News, Silver acknowledges that it is an issue that the NBA will be looking to solve possibly in the future.
“Maybe when the audience gets big enough in China and you’re reaching 100 million people in China, to say, ‘So maybe once in a while a team will play at 10:00 on Saturday morning,’ ” Silver said, mentioning the possibility of such games perhaps once every two months.
“We’re not there yet. But, you know, I am watching the market closely.”
Silver also spoke at the Bloomberg Sports Summit, and addressed the inevitable rise of legalized sports gambling. Per Mason Levinson:
“It’s inevitable that, if all these states are broke, that there will be legalized sports betting in more states than Nevada and we will ultimately participate in that,” said Silver, 52.
Silver, who has been with the NBA for 22 years and replaced former Commissioner David Stern in February, said that he doesn’t have any moral issue with sports betting. The league, which already allows teams to create marketing deals with casinos, would further profit from the legalization of sports wagering outside Nevada, he said.
“If you have a gentleman’s bet or a small wager on any kind of sports contest, it makes you that much more engaged in it,” Silver said. “That’s where we’re going to see it pay dividends. If people are watching a game and clicking to bet on their smartphones, which is what people are doing in the United Kingdom right now, then it’s much more likely you’re going to stay tuned for a long time.”
There has always been interest in having an NBA team located in Nevada, and it will be interesting to see how likely this becomes in the future after hearing Silver’s take on legal sports gambling.
Kevin Durant signs another endorsement deal
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant has signed another major endorsement deal for himself this summer. After rejoining Nike with a new contract last week, Durant has now partnered with Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt.
In a report by AP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt:
Thunder forward Kevin Durant said Thursday that he has signed a partnership deal with Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt.
Durant will own an undisclosed percentage of the company, his first such partnership since he joined the Roc Nation agency founded by Jay-Z last year. Orange Leaf, based in Oklahoma City, has 321 stores in 40 states, four in Australia and 69 under construction.
Reese Travis, CEO of Orange Leaf, thought he was on the right track when he chose to pursue Durant as the company’s first brand ambassador.
Because of his negotiations with the Oklahoma City star, Travis was invited to attend the MVP award ceremony and once he heard Durant’s acceptance speech, he knew he was doing the right thing.
“It was moving,” Travis said. “It was a speech that Kevin Durant delivered in the way that only Kevin Durant can deliver. It was heartfelt, it was authentic, it was unique to Kevin. As I’m sitting there thinking of everyone that’s special in my life, every MVP I had in my life — my wife, family, my kids — something like that — when I walked out of that room, there was a sense of pride that we were in the process of creating a partnership with Kevin Durant.”
Durant has certainly made the most out of the incredible year that he has been having. After winning the MVP award this past season, Durant will surely be looking to repeat as he prepares to lead the Thunder into another season as they attempt to win an NBA title.
Other News Around The League:
The New York Knicks continue to fill up coaching positions to work alongside Derek Fisher. The team has been searching for assistant coaches that Fisher and Knicks president Phil Jackson both have past relationships with. According to Adi Joseph of USA Today Sports: Former Lakers assistants Jim Cleamons and Rasheed Hazzard will serve under Knicks President Phil Jackson and first-year head coach Derek Fisher, the team announced Wednesday. Brian Keefe and Joshua Longstaff also will join the staff, coming from the Oklahoma City Thunder organization that Fisher played for the past two seasons. Jackson, who coached the Lakers from 1999-00 through 2010-11 except for one season, hired Fisher, who won five championships under him in Los Angeles, this offseason. He then hired longtime assistant Kurt Rambis as his Fisher’s associate head coach.
The New York Knicks have also announced that they will be holding training camp at West Point next month. This will mark the first time the Knicks have held camp there in almost 50 years. The news was announced in a press release from the team: The New York Knicks will hold their training camp at the United States Military Academy for the first time since 1966. The team says Thursday it will practice in West Point, New York, from Sept. 30 until Oct. 4 at Christl Arena. It will be the first training camp under new coach Derek Fisher. The Knicks have been holding camp at their training center in Greenburgh in recent years after having it in Saratoga in former coach Mike D’Antoni’s first two seasons in 2008 and ’09.
- The Toronto Raptors announced the signing of center Greg Stiemsma. A career journeyman in his short time in the league, this will be Stiemsma’s fourth team in three seasons. Per the Associated Press: The Toronto Raptors have signed Greg Stiemsma, a veteran free-agent center who played last season with New Orleans. The 6-foot-11 Stiemsma averaged 2.9 points and career highs of 4.1 rebounds and 18.3 minutes in 55 games last season with the Pelicans. Stiemsma has also played for Minnesota (2012-13) and Boston (2011-’12) after starring college at Wisconsin. For his NBA career, he is averaging 3.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 16 minutes.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford will be featured in a mini documentary called “J.Crossover” premiering on Ballislife.com. The documentary will detail Crawford’s life as it relates to basketball as well as highlight some of his charitable endeavors. Though there is no exact date for the film yet, the trailer for the upcoming release can be seen at the host site.
Esau Howard is a regular contributor to Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on Twitter.