The former Spanish international player Pau Gasol has defended that the model of Basketball in Europe “It has to evolve”, since “it is not sustainable at the economic level”, something that believes that the NBA He is trying to change his possible landing in the old continent.
The revival of Barça and Los Angeles Lakers has valued the interest of the NBA Porn create a league in Europe by the FIBA hand in the presentation this Thursday in Barcelona of the Pau Gasol Academy By Santander, whose 21st edition will be held from June 30 to July 5 with the participation of young players from 36 countries.
Gasol has recognized that the interest of the American Basketball League to disembark in Europe with a new continental competition “is following him closely”, because he is “interested” in which his sport grows.
“The basketball model in Europe has to evolve because it is not sustainable at the economic level, since most teams lose money. The NBA is trying to provide solutions so that our sport will take a step forward and continue to grow globally,” he said.
The former Spanish International player and NBA champion has also been critical of the current calendar in European basketball, after the announcement of the Euroleague to expand the competition to 20 teams from the 2025-26 season.
“You cannot add matches because in the end Satura to the players. It is working hard from the FIBA, the domestic leagues and, also, from the NBA it is something that they take into account in this process of creating a new European League,” he said.
Gasol has also said to be aware of the trend of young European players to accept succulent offers of the American University League (NCAA). This has been, for example, the case of the forward Dame Sarr, who left Barça in the middle of the season for tab in Duke with the aim of making the jump to the NBA soon.
This increasingly frequent phenomenon is due to the implementation of NIL contracts (name, image and likeness), the legal route that the door has opened so that companies sponsor university athletes in the United States.
Gasol, which in 2001 was number 3 in the NBA draft, explained that it is stated that from the FIBA is “working” so that there is “some kind of compensation” to European teams for the training rights of the players who decide to play in the NCAA.
However, he has opined that he would like European clubs to give “more prominence” to young players so that “they can value the option to stay” in the old European.
“I would like to see sports projects with a more long -term vision, which is something that does not happen in the current basketball, which everything is managed in the short term,” he added.
Also, Gasol has congratulated the coach of Fenerbahce, Sarunas Jasikevicius, with which he coincided in Barça, for his recent conquest of the Euroleague.
And he has also opined on the NBA final that the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers will play from this Thursday. “I see Oklahoma as a favorite. It is no secret, but I expect a very competitive and exciting final,” he predicted.
