Euroleague’s craving for big basketball teams in Paris and London has never been a secret. One of them will have a shot at achieving it through Eurocup this season
There was once a dream, not necessarily the best advised one, in Euroleague towers. Paris and London have long been sought after to join the competition. One of them is likely to make the breakthrough this season but is it worth it?
The obvious appeal
This isn’t the first time we’ve written about the projects in London or Paris. It’s not even the first time we’ve done so this season. Still, it’s timely. London Lions and Paris Basketball will meet in a best of three Eurocup semi-final series that starts tonight.
The winner will almost certainly be favoured to go on to win the whole competition. With that, comes a ticket to the big dance. A place in Euroleague for the 2024/25 season. For Euroleague, the appeal of either is obvious.
Both markets have high per capita income and both have large populations. London has around 9 million people. Paris claims a metropolitan population of 12.4 million. Those are really big places. They are also places with lots of money. That in turn increases the potential revenue to Euroleague, through higher value broadcast and sponsorship deals. The basics are obvious.
Conversions matter
Of course, were it all that simple, then Paris and London would both long have established basketball teams. They’d probably have more than one each. Converting Parisiens to Paris Basketball and Londoners to London Lions is another story entirely.
Getting in these markets was the longtime dream of Jordi Bertomeu, the former CEO of Euroleague Basketball. How much it matters to Paulius Motiejunas, the current CEO, is another matter. There’s no doubt he’d be happy if either or both reached everyone in both markets. He’s also probably more realistic about the challenge ahead.
Basketball has a presence in both cities. Euroleague Basketball’s presence is up for debate. Nike has pumped millions into developing marketing around Paris in particular but not focused squarely on Paris Basketball. The sheer volume of French talent being produced right now to a NBA level means there’s a logical purpose for a brand associated with the NBA to lean in heavily on the market.
Similarly, London’s culture is a mix of focus on the youth development side of the sport coupled with NBA interest. The London Lions have certainly improved their standing in that conversation. They are not however close to being the front of mind focus of hoop heads in the city.
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Expensive places to succeed
Vitoria-Gasteiz, home of Baskonia, has a population of about 250,000 people. Kaunas in Lithuania, home of Zalgiris, has a population of around 300,000. Both are fine mid-sized cities. In both, the big basketball team is at the top of the tree in terms of sports and entertainment. Getting someone in either city to care about a basketball team involves a far clearer path than in London or Paris.
The London Lions and Paris Basketball have farcical competition by comparison. That’s even before considering both are in Eurocup not Euroleague right now. In highly affluent markets, they are competing with far more sports and entertainment properties to attract disposable income of consumers. These markets have oodles of noise. Cutting through that to hit target consumers, as in basketball fans or those open to being basketball fans, is very expensive.
BiE isn’t exactly rich but suffice to say the Josimar reporting on London Lions is worth a read. We shouldn’t be sued for that. It’s not exactly confidence inducing stuff to read. Paris Basketball appears to have fewer problems on that front but it’s hardly easy going. Tax in France is quite high, particularly on higher earners. That means it literally costs more to get better players than in most jurisdictions.
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But still, there is an opportunity
The London Lions claimed the regular season men’s championship in the British Basketball League with a lot of time to spare. That has enabled them to focus on Eurocup to some degree. Getting a Euroleague side in the city for the first time in a very long time, all the way back to the London Towers in 2001, would be quite the achievement. It would certainly be a boon for the basketball scene in the city if a Euroleague team built to last could succeed there.
Paris Basketball knows it has the same opportunity with this season’s Eurocup. Boosted by a strong contingent from last season’s Telekom Baskets Bonn team, they have impressed mightily. The LNB Pro A has been more of a challenge for them. That’s understandable with two French sides, AS Monaco and LDLC Asvel, being in Euroleague. Still, having won the Leader’s Cup they sit second in the table there and look strong.
Paris won both games in the season series and have been imperious in Eurocup to date. The potential prize is great. The challenge that awaits whoever claims it, is greater.