NBA game ticket prices: "There is not much we can do"

A large hotel in the capital right next to the Arc de Triomphe. With some French media, Adam Silver, the “commissioner” (president) of the National Basketball Association (NBA) received at length Le Parisien-Today in France to discuss all the subjects at the moment when the powerful league settles its suitcases in Paris for the first official match in season between Charlotte and Milwaukee.

The NBA even announced that the operation would be renewed in 2021 with a new meeting in the capital.

Why did you choose Paris to organize an NBA match, after spending nine years in London?

ADAM SILVER. France is a big market for basketball. There is a long tradition, a first class federation which produces a surprisingly high number of NBA players. There are also close relations between France and the United States. It is a very attractive market for fans, not only for Americans but for all of Europe.

HERE WE ARE! FINALLY!

.GAMEDAY 🎆🎇
The #NBAParis Game is tonight!

A meeting to follow on @beINSPORTS_FR from 21H00!
🆚 | @Hornets x @Bucks
📍 | Paris, AccorHotels Arena pic.twitter.com/6ZvbwVIUla

What will French fans discover this Friday in Paris?

This mid-season event has become in many ways like a European All Star Game. Paris is a beautiful city, with first class hotels, restaurants, tourist activity. It's the same reasons that make people from all over the world visit Paris. We left London not because of a lack of popularity, it was time to move.

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Why did you wait so long before coming to Paris?

There was a long period during which the hall (AccorHotels Arena) was under renovation, then it had to catch up with its schedule with other events, which filled the hall and delayed our return by a few years.

How were the two teams in the match chosen?

There are a number of factors. It depends on the interest of the teams, the popularity of their players, sometimes their connection with certain markets. This year we have Milwaukee who is at the head of the league and who has a European player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, our last MVP ( Editor's note: best player in season ). Charlotte has a French player (Nicolas Batum) and Michael Jordan (the owner) wanted to return to Paris where he was immensely popular as a player.

Are there other candidate teams to come?

Many teams would like to play. There is an advantage for those of the Eastern conference, because the journey is easier. We never had to force the teams, because we have so many volunteers.

Will there be another NBA game in Paris in 2021?

We will come back. We will replay next year in January. We do not yet know with which teams. We are already talking to several of them. We already have too many candidates! We note the huge interest in people, who are still trying to buy tickets, in the media and in an unprecedented number of sponsors. We will be in Paris for many years, even if for the moment the only firm commitment concerns next year.

The price of seats, sometimes up to 1600 euros, made NBA fans scream…

I understand that, but it is one aspect of things that we cannot have much control over. It is the law of the market, it also dictates prices. We have tried to make them affordable, but there have been so many requests that these prices have soared, probably too much. Unfortunately, there is little we can do about it.

Many French players play in the NBA. Do you think, as it happens in football, to pay their training clubs?

We talk a lot about this with FIBA (Editor's note: International Basketball Federation) and our international partners, to try to define what a fair system would be. Since the last time we played in Paris, in preseason ten years ago, the number of European players has increased in the NBA, as well as their quality. They are spectacular! Whether it's Giannis (Antetokounmpo) or Luka (Doncic) , some of our best players come from the Old Continent. We are aware that the ecosystem of world basketball must be doing well for this sport to continue to develop. It cannot be the NBA and nothing else, we need national federations, leagues, clubs.

Does the NBA watch what is done in other sports?

Of course. Especially since we keep learning from the different training systems in place, especially by interviewing our foreign players. Because in many cases, they work better than in the United States.