NBA and Euroleague sign deal for 'NBA Europe Live'

[Andreas Dahl]

http://www.euroleague.net/noticia.jsp?t ... =30&id=926

NBA AND EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL ANNOUNCE
NBA EUROPE LIVE PRESENTED BY EA SPORTS


DETROIT -- June 14, 2005 - Four NBA teams will head to Europe for a competition against top European basketball clubs in October 2006 and 2007 as part of NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS™, the NBA and Euroleague Basketball announced today. As part of a two-year partnership agreement with Electronic Arts and Euroleague Basketball, the four NBA teams will compete in five European countries.

"This is the NBA's most ambitious European basketball competition," said NBA Commissioner David Stern. "NBA Europe Live will exemplify how sports leagues around the world can work together for the long-term growth of their sport. As the relevance of basketball continues to grow globally, the NBA and EA SPORTS share a vision that delivers basketball, entertainment, music and technology to our fans around the world."

An NBA licensee since 1991, EA has expanded its relationship with the league to become an official global marketing partner of the NBA, the first developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software to be designated with this status. As a global marketing partner, EA will work with the NBA to develop interactive basketball programs around the world, including NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS.

The award-winning NBA LIVE franchise, recognized worldwide for delivering the most authentic interactive basketball experience for more than a decade, will be featured in promotion of the events throughout Europe and the U.S. The newest iteration in the series, NBA LIVE 06, will be available this October in more than 100 countries on six continents.

"Like sports, video games have a global appeal that transcends language and borders," said Electronic Arts Chairman and CEO Larry Probst. "At EA, we're proud to be an ambassador for one of the world's most exciting sports, NBA Basketball."

Building on the league's success in Europe and its relationship with Euroleague Basketball, the four NBA teams will compete in games against top Euroleague Basketball teams and conduct training camps. NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS will culminate with a final event in a fifth European country featuring games with two NBA teams, the Euroleague Basketball Champion and Euroleague Basketball runner-up.

"Years of steady, positive relations between the NBA and Euroleague Basketball have covered diverse aspects of sports organization and this partnership will continue to cultivate the success of basketball in Europe," said Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu. "This partnership will help to continue the tradition of basketball excellence and achievement, contribute to the growth of the sport and will benefit European fans by offering them another chance to enjoy great basketball."

The announcement will be carried live on both NBA TV and NBA.com at 7:45 p.m. Eastern. Additional information about NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS will be announced later this year.

The NBA's last visit to Europe was in 2003 for the NBA Europe Games, which featured a preseason game between that year's NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies, at Bercy Arena in Paris, France. San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker returned home to his native France for the first time with his NBA team before a sellout crowd. The Memphis Grizzlies went on to play an exhibition game against 2003 Euroleague Champions FC Barcelona at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain. The game featured Memphis Grizzlies star forward Pau Gasol, a native of Barcelona, Spain, playing against his former team.

[cklitsie]

Oh man, hopefully the Knicks will come to Europe (I'm a fan + the Euro teams might have a chance to win )

[Jackal_]

I think thats a sweet deal..lots of european fans im sure will be excited for this. Bout time Nba expands its options.

[MaD_hAND1e]

LOL, I like the part "The award-winning NBA LIVE franchise, recognized worldwide for delivering the most authentic interactive basketball experience for more than a decade"

[shachaf]

It would be great if EA would creat a ''Euroleague Live 2006'' with all 24 euroleague teams. I don't think about something like fifa, just euroleague teams and NBA teams in diffrent games.
What do you think about it?

[grusom]

It would be great if EA would creat a ''Euroleague Live 2006'' with all 24 euroleague teams. I don't think about something like fifa, just euroleague teams and NBA teams in diffrent games.
What do you think about it?

Then why not make one game with all of the teams in it? I think it would be cool to play Barcelona against the Spurs, or finaly be able to sign Christian Drejer for a NBA team

[Blue Nugget]

I don't like that idea because I'm not familar with the Euroleague at all and don't plan to be. NBA all the way,baby!

[Andrew]

As I've said over in the NBA Live 06 section, I think a Euroleague or international league game based on the NBA Live engine in addition to the regular NBA Live game (similar to what they do with the FIFA engine in the World Cup years) might be a nice idea.

As far as the real NBA's concerned, sounds cool. I don't think the NBA should become a global league, but I do like the idea of international inter-league tournaments being held from time to time, like the McDonalds Open back in the day.

[shachaf]

It's just a matter of time until teams from europe will play at NBA.
Do you know about european basketball?
Have you seen Maccabi Tel Aviv( The european champs, back- to-back titels)?
Do you know Anthoney Parker and Sarunas Jasikevicius?
If there be a european verison of NBA live, will you buy it?

[Andrew]

Including a European division in the NBA would complicate staples of American professional sports such as free agency, trades and the rookie draft. That's why I don't think it's a particularly feasible idea to expand into Europe for regular NBA season play, though a champions vs champions tournament would be a great idea.

It has nothing to do with the quality of European teams or leagues, it's just I feel countries should all have their own professional sports leagues with international tournaments being completely seperate.

If they made an international game based on the NBA Live engine, I'd consider buying it. If it was Euroleague only, I've got a feeling it wouldn't be released in Australia though.

[MaD_hAND1e]

Don't they have a European league for the NFL?

anyway

It's just a matter of time until teams from europe will play at NBA.
Do you know about european basketball?
Have you seen Maccabi Tel Aviv( The european champs, back- to-back titels)?
Do you know Anthoney Parker and Sarunas Jasikevicius?
If there be a european verison of NBA live, will you buy it?

All I know about European basketball, is that thats where all the reject American players go if they can't make it to the NBA or CBA.

a Champion vs. Champion would be nice, then the winners can really be known as the "World Champions".... rather than just winning the American leagues and being recognised as the world champions.
btw, Didn't they have this kind of thing before? Called the McDonald's classic or McDonald's championship or something like that, I remember that when Houston won the championship, they went and played against some Euro team.

[shachaf]

So you don't know nothing about european basketball?
Even after the olympics?

[MaD_hAND1e]

Don't know, don't care
If I'm supposed to know about it, it would be constantly marketed to me.
O... and btw, it's pretty sad that a guy like Anthony Parker, is one of the best in the Euroleague, considering that he used to play in the NBA and wasn't much of a star.

[Andrew]

btw, Didn't they have this kind of thing before? Called the McDonald's classic or McDonald's championship or something like that, I remember that when Houston won the championship, they went and played against some Euro team.

They did - the McDonalds Open. In fact, the 1995 NBL champs (one of the teams based in Melbourne at the time, either the Magic or the Giants) even competed in the tournament that year.

[MaD_hAND1e]

What happened to it?

[Andrew]

I'm not sure to tell you the truth. As far as I know it no longer exists, which is probably the reason they're looking to set up another one.

[shachaf]

Don't know, don't care
If I'm supposed to know about it, it would be constantly marketed to me.
O... and btw, it's pretty sad that a guy like Anthony Parker, is one of the best in the Euroleague, considering that he used to play in the NBA and wasn't much of a star.

Anthoney Parker could start in almost every nba team if he wanted. I hope that the spurs will meet maccabi so that you can see that manou ginobili and parker are almost at the same level.
You still don't know nothing about Jasikevicius?

[Andrew]

There isn't any coverage of European leagues here Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Rim. And unless Anthony Parker's improved greatly, I don't think he could start on just about any NBA team or that he's about equal with Ginobili, but you're entitled to your opinion.

[shachaf]

Here is anthoney parker's in the euroleague:
http://www.euroleague.net/plantillas/jugador.jsp?id=AOW

17.9 pts 55.8%2FG 47.6%3FG 85.6%FT 0.5O REB 4.7D REB 5.2T 3.5AST 2.0st 1.7 0.6 BLK

probebly the best player in europe, he can shoot from any distance, a deadly-turn around jump shoot, a big athletic, and not a selfish player....
I would give you a videos if you want...

[Riot]

I hope to god the Wolves don't go and play because I don't want to see KG get shot, get hurt, or get biten by a Euro.

[iG®]

I hope to god the Wolves don't go and play because I don't want to see KG get shot, get hurt, or get biten by a Euro.

Says who? Captain America? Give me a brake...

[Andreas Dahl]

I wonder if this will lead to a new game 'NBA Europe Live', or perhaps those additional teams that are playing in this from Europe, to be in Live 06. Probably nothing, but I still wonder why EA is involved in this, I don't get it.


By the way shachaf, I remember seeing Jasikevicius in the Olympics and European Championships. I still think he was the best player in both those tournaments based on how he played. One of the best shooters I've seen...

[#12]

They should just add Euro league teams to NBA LIVE. Look at NHL 2005, they have international teams. NBA LIVE should do the same

[Jackal]

I hope they don't add a NBA Europe Live game, this way they'll probably stop selling normal NBA Live because the Europe ones would be selling like hotcakes. Gah.

Oh, can someone give Lpasso some brakepads?

[MaD_hAND1e]

Don't know, don't care
If I'm supposed to know about it, it would be constantly marketed to me.
O... and btw, it's pretty sad that a guy like Anthony Parker, is one of the best in the Euroleague, considering that he used to play in the NBA and wasn't much of a star.

Anthoney Parker could start in almost every nba team if he wanted. I hope that the spurs will meet maccabi so that you can see that manou ginobili and parker are almost at the same level.
You still don't know nothing about Jasikevicius?

1997/98 76ers GP 37 ppg 1.9 FG16/35
1999/00 Orlando GP 16 ppg 3.6 FG23/43

Dude... if this guy can put up big numbers in Euroleague, Wade or T-Mac or Duncan could break Wilt's record for points scored on any given night.
And no, I still don't know, and don't want to know anything about some guy whose name I can't even pronounce and isn't in the NBA, when he does make it to the NBA, I'll learn to pronounce his name.