Globalizing the nba
Over time, players from both sides of the planet have developed an interest in playing overseas. Whether it had a new player from Europe like Dirk Nowitzki coming to play for the NBA, or veteran guards like Aaron Brooks choosing to take a break from America and go give the league in China a try. In both cases, it shows an evolving desire for basketball players everywhere to find a new love for the game by switching up, not only the scenery but also, the entire basketball experience. No doubt players go overseas to get a new taste of the sport they love, but more than any other league around the globe, the NBA has a large majority of the most elite players in the world.
Players like Peja Stojokavic, a two time NBA 3-Point Shooting Contest champion, came from being the Greek League MVP to retiring from the NBA with only 14.4 points per game average and a three time all star experience. Hands down, these are impressive feats to accomplish by any NBA player, but the noticeable change in success shows that the best players from around the globe come to the NBA for a challenge, to see who really has what it takes to get an NBA championship ring. And where they’re new players from around the globe all joining in one single league to reach for one thing, there will continuously be an apparent influence.
Leagues that are now accepting international players are of course benefiting from new talent but some countries are also at a huge disadvantage because of the rare talent they can, and will, lose to other leagues. The Italian Basketball League could have profited more than ever before had the Denver Nuggets’ current leading scorer not had come to America to play for the NBA. Imagine if Lebron James had never played for the NBA. The revenue coming from his influence on the sneaker, clothing and basketball industry would go right out the window. We would never have been able to appreciate the talent he has and his incredible entertainment value. The same could be said for Nowitzki, Ibaka, Valanciunas and even legends like Olajuwon and Mutombo. These are all notable names that could have made millions, even billions, for their respective home countries, but we’ll never know because of the globalization of transferring talent worldwide.