The National Basketball Association is looking for ways to cash in on the popularity of basketball in Europe with an in-season tournament or an NBA-sponsored league. Either move could reduce the appeal of its stars playing in future Olympics.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, at Paris to watch the Olympics, told the Associated Press he is exploring ways to expand the league’s imprint in Europe and take advantage of the sport’s growing popularity. AP cited league research estimating there are 270 million basketball fans in Europe with a potential media market value of $20 billion. Those numbers are only going to increase.

“I think that there’s an appetite among our team owners for additional investment in global basketball,” Mr. Silver told AP. “We have a huge initiative in China. We have a huge initiative in Africa. Given the quality of the basketball here in Europe, it would seem to make sense that we should be doing something here as well.”

The commissioner said no decisions have been made and talks with entities including FIBA are ongoing. An in-season tournament might be more viable than an NBA-sponsored league, especially in the short term. The NBA already has a blueprint for an in-season tournament. The Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup last December in a format that could be duplicated with the finals being held in say, Paris.

A Europe-based tournament where NBA players and NBA owners receive compensation is something Mark Cuban has been advocating for years. Mr. Cuban, the former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, recently reiterated the NBA should sponsor its own World Cup and stop sending its best NBA players to the Olympics.

“I’ve always been against NBA players playing in the Olympics,” Mr. Cuban tweeted when the Paris Olympics began. “We should put on our own World Cup and treat the Olympics like Soccer does.”

Mr. Cuban, now a minority owner with the Mavericks, has offered his opinion through several blogs beginning in 2004.  In 2009, he wrote: “If we want to find out which country has the best basketball players, let’s create a competitive tournament that is honest about why it exists and make it a profit-making entity that shares the profits with its participants. A notion that is foreign to the Olympic Committee.”

He suggests the USA send players aged 21 and under to compete in the Olympics and eliminate the fears NBA owners harbor about their star players participating in the Olympics without financial compensation.  “NBA fans, and this owner are tired of players who are unable to play to their full potential because they play for other profit-seeking enterprises.” Mr. Cuban wrote in 2009.

The enthusiasm at the Paris Olympics around the men’s and women’s competitions confirms the international appetite for basketball.  Fans wearing jerseys representing various NBA teams fill the stadium for each game.

“When we first played a preseason game in France, there were zero players from France in the NBA,” Mr. Silver noted. “We now have 14, including the last two No.1 picks. That’s a great example of the development we’re seeing in the game here.”

The popularity of basketball in Europe has already benefited the NBA through the growing numbers of international players reaching the NBA. The quarterfinals of this year’s men’s competition offers the latest example.

The quarterfinals are Thursday. The United States plays Brazil, while Canada takes on France. Germany, which won the 2023 World Cup, meets Greece, and Serbia plays Australia. Losers go home, winners advance to the semifinals on Thursday. Each game includes at least one perennial NBA All-Star, one finalist or winner of the Most Valuable Player award, and one NBA champion. 

Those still competing include Victor Wembanyama of France, the NBA rookie of the year; former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece; Serbia’s Nikola Jokic, a three-time MVP; and Rudy Gobert of France, one of the NBA’s top defenders. Veteran NBA players R.J. Barrett (Canada), Jamal Murray (Canada), Dennis Schroder (Germany), and Bogdan Bogdanovic (Serbia) are also in the quarterfinals.

“When you win the quarterfinals, you have a chance to fight for the medal,” Mr. Bogdanovic said in Paris. “That’s why we are here.”

An Olympic medal continues to carry the most prestige in international basketball drawing top stars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry.  That could change if the NBA restricts its players to NBA-sponsored leagues and tournaments in Europe.

FIBA operates the World Cup in basketball. The USA didn’t send its best in 2023 and lost to eventual tournament champion Germany in the semifinals. The Americans featured a roster of NBA players, but only Tyrese Haliburton and Anthony Edwards are on the current Olympic team.

The current USA Dream Team is seeking its sixth straight gold medal in men’s basketball and seventh in eight Olympics including Barcelona.