The International Basketball Opinion

By ALAN WALLS Welcome to the tenth edition of The International Basketball Opinion, the world’s newest and only blog specifically dedicated to international basketball news, business and current events. Flashing back to 1996 when the top-ranked University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team suited up three  Israeli  imports, including two-time All American and national co-player of the year Yuval Katz, many opposing coaches and members of the media referred to Rainbows as the University of Tel Aviv at Honolulu. Fast forward to 2020 and the flow of international talent into American universities has only increased, especially in basketball. There are no better current examples than those of the University of Wyoming women’s and the University of Arizona men’s teams. So much so, that Wyoming should consider a name change to the University of Europe at Laramie while Arizona should relabel itself the Arizona International University . The Wyoming Cowgirls eight-p...

By ALAN WALLS Welcome to the ninth edition of The International Basketball Opinion, the world’s newest and only blog specifically dedicated to international basketball news, business and current events. China. Mexico. Philippines. Caribbean. Ireland. Rwanda. Morocco. Peru. China just cannot get it right under CBA president Yao Ming. I give him a lot credit for thinking outside-the-box and trying new things, but they have backfired leading to China’s embarrassing 24th place finish out of 32 teams at last year’s World Cup played on their home soil. China hosting the WC was supposed to be a boom for the sport in the Middle Kingdom and boost the national team’s standing globally. #1 was a success. #2 was a disaster. Yao implemented a two-team system in the years leading up to WC with the teams preparing and practicing separately with one team playing in certain competitions and preparation games and the second in others. Then prior to the event the best players from th...

By ALAN WALLS Welcome to the eighth edition of The International Basketball Opinion, the world’s newest and only blog specifically dedicated to international basketball news, business and current events. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe the coronavirus pandemic is causing human and economic loss and suffering on scales we have not seen since the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918. The global sports industry is no exception with amateur and professional leagues as well as sporting federations around the world suspending practices and competitions, while others gone to the extreme of completely shutting down for 2020. The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games were even suspended until 2021. Here I share some very interesting articles I have gathered recently regarding the effects of the suspension of the Games on FIBA, American overseas player contracts and pay issues, negotiations between the Australian NBL and its players, how different African countries are dealing with the economic ...

By ALAN WALLS Welcome to the seventh edition of The International Basketball Opinion, the world’s newest and only blog specifically dedicated to international basketball news, business and current events. Note: I have a good perspective of basketball in China having lived and worked there in 2012-13 helping grow a basketball academy as the head coach and director of curriculum. A month ago, it was announced that NBA China CEO Derek Chang would be stepping down from his post today, May 15, and return to his family in London. He took over the role in 2018. The NBA then announced this Monday that Chang’s substitute will be 13-year NBA New York City headquarters veteran Michael Ma. Ma will start his new job on June 1. Is this a calculated move by the NBA to win over China and to specifically get its games back on TV after the state-run China Central Television (CCTV) removed all NBA programming, therefore costing the league hundreds of millions of dollars, as a r...

By ALAN WALLS Welcome to the sixth edition of The International Basketball Opinion, the world’s newest and only blog specifically dedicated to international basketball news and current events. No opinions to share here, just some very interesting articles that I have come across recently that show how different leagues and federations around the world are looking to start back up; the EuroLeague, the NBA, the CBA, Uganda, Kenya and Southeast Asia. ENJOY! Serbia to send an official letter to host the Final tournament of the EuroLeague Serbia will send an official letter to the EuroLeague to host the Final tournament of the competition. The Serbian government released a statement and stated they can guarantee the entry of all participants of the Final tournament. Read entire article: https://www.court-side.com/news/serbia-to-reportedly-send-an-official-letter-to-host-the-final-tournament-of-the-euroleague/ Yao Ming offers options for Chinese Bas...

By ALAN WALLS Welcome to the fifth edition of The International Basketball Opinion, the world’s newest and only blog specifically dedicated to international basketball current events and news. In recent weeks, with basketball fans on the edges of their sofas waiting desperately for the NBA to start back up, the G League has been making headlines with the signings of top American draft prospects to their revamped professional pathway program. This type of program should have been implemented 20 years ago when the NBA Development League started. And instead of being visionary, the NBA was forced to do it. More on that below… The first to sign up was the #1 high school player in the US, 6’5” guard Jalen Green from California. Green has the potential to earn as much as half a million dollars during his gap year interning in the G League. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29043828/sources-top-high-school-player-jalen-green-enter-nba-g-league-pathway Soon after,...