"A huge mistake for the Americas": Fans react to NBA and FIBA reportedly teaming up to form a new 'Champions League-style' league

According to an article published on Monday by Joe Vardon of "The Athletic," the NBA and FIBA are discussing the formation of a new league. The article mentioned that the two parties are having serious conversations about creating this new league, but exact details are still scarce.

While there hasn't been any confirmation on what this entails or when it might happen, it has caused a stir among NBA fans.

Several basketball enthusiasts had a variety of reactions, ranging from serious to more hilarious takes.

"A huge mistake for the Americas lol they will cook... nvm," one person tweeted.

"FIBA is a reck league compared to the NBA stop this," one person said.

"Guess the nba wants to go global, might as well turn the whole world into a basketball court," another person chimed in.

Meanwhile, some fans expressed excitement at the potential formation of a basketball tournament that was similar to the Champions League in soccer.

"We’re dropping 50 pieces overseas in the champions league," one person said.

"The article seems more like Adam Silver is making an international league for development of international prospects vs a champions league type," one person countered.

"Champions League you say?" One fan tweeted.

At the moment, there are still no details on how exactly this will play out. Whether it means that top NBA teams will compete in the same tournament as top EuroLeague teams or something else entirely remains to be seen.

---

The NBA will play some of its games in Europe in January 2025

Fans have gotten used to NBA teams playing preseason games in other countries. However, this season, the league is stepping up its international presence by playing two games abroad in January.

Both games will feature the San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers and will take place in Paris. The two games will take place on Jan. 23 and 25, which means the entire season series for both teams will be played in France.

The San Antonio Spurs have plenty of connections with France as two of their current players are from France. One is Sidy Cissoko and the other is Victor Wembanyama. Wemby was named the 2024 Rookie of the Year and continues to follow a path to superstardom.

Aside from having two French players on their team now, the Spurs also had another top French player on their team during the Tim Duncan era. That other player is Tony Parker whom the Spurs selected 28th overall by San Antonio in 2001.

He was a six-time All-Star and four-time champion with the Spurs. Due to his contributions, the Spurs retired his jersey in 2019.

Additionally, Boris Diaw also played in San Antonio. He spent four and a half seasons there starting in 2011-12 after the now-defunct Charlotte Bobcats waived him midseason.

He remained in San Antonio until 2015-16 and was a vital member of the 2014 championship squad that took down LeBron James and the Miami Heat.