The future of basketball

Basketball continues to grow at an impressive rate, particularly in Southeast Asia. This seems ironic, considering that the region has deep, strong, Commonwealth influence, save for Thailand and the Philippines, for divergent reasons. And it continues to grow independently throughout other parts of the world. Leagues continue to sprout in unexpected new places. 3x3, after being organized internationally by different sports brands in 1990’s, then fading, has surged to become its own sport. It will debut as an Olympic sport in 2020. So where does this rich sport go from here. How does FIBA make sure to harness this growth, if possible?

Several matters were discussed in the FIBA World Summit in Xi’an, China as part of the push to make basketball the world’s most popular sport by 2028, when the Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles. The point of cooperation among organizations, leagues, sponsors, brands, fan based and other interested parties shows how serious FIBA is to surpass football as the globe’s top sport. 

A universal ball? Free enterprise and latitude in design has given rise to a multitude of basketballs of every description. In the last quarter of a century, the biggest differentiator in ball design has been illustrated by the divide between the brand used by the NBA and the multi-colored ball favored by FIBA. Flattened pebbling, better bounce and rotation are some of the design aspects argued in favor of one over the other. Though international players seem to favor the design of FIBA, there has been no problem for NBA players to adjust in the rare times they play internationally. With no palpable difference, it would be hard to make a case for one ball for all.

 Unified rules. Forty minutes versus forty-eight. Different shot clocks. Five personal fouls versus six. Varying three-point distances. These are just some of the differences between international rules and pro rules. Is there a need to consolidate them into one? Naturally, each pro league would want to maintain its uniqueness. And there really is no need to blend, since entire leagues are not under FIBA, only selected players or teams are when formed for regional qualifiers or Olympic tournaments. Again, it will be up to the players to adjust.

Streamlining officiating. One of the challenges that has not found a solution yet is the peculiar nature of officiating in international competitions. As you know, matches are called by officials from neutral countries. Well and good. However, this creates a whole new set of problems. Three officials often speak three different languages and have differing styles. This causes confusion in certain situations. Perhaps FIBA can institute language courses to at least bring some unity in continents with vast cultural diversity, such as Europe and Asia. There certainly will be debate over that in Europe, for sure. Would French be acceptable to other European countries. Would Mandarin be the choice in Asia? 

Scheduling. This will be tricky. Many pro leagues like the PBA and NBA play the vast majority of the year, so the only real window should be the International summer. But that is also when independent tournaments are held, pros go on vacation, and everyone’s off trying to do their own thing. We’ve seen the flurry of activity and tug-of-war over players result in some of them being exhausted by other commitments and declining appearances simply to catch their breath. At the end of the day, players and their time are finite resources. They can only do so much.

New grassroots. FIBA can work with the education sector in countries where basketball is still largely untapped, and generate new audiences for the game. This is how the Americans taught Filipinos to play. Initially, Filipinos felt it was an effeminate sport, until inevitably, it was played by enough students in enough schools and reached critical mass. In addition, FIBA can mine the basketball history of each country and make people aware of their nation’s basketball heritage. That spark of nationalism will go a long way in getting a new generation inspired to take up the game.

More leagues. As the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League has proven, there is room for everybody. More leagues mean more work, a possible future. Children can aspire not just to play for a steady paycheck, but also to become officials, broadcasters and management. Many leagues have programs to prepare and promote those who choose a career path in many other aspects of the game.

Ten years may not seem like much time, but FIBA is bringing everyone together in this push to make basketball number one. The next decade will be an exciting ride.