NBA Going Over the Cliff

Basketball’s popularity is increasing internationally, which only spells trouble for the NBA and the quality of its game. With the number of international players in the NBA nearing the one hundred mark, other countries are clearly producing stars at an accelerating rate. To build up their own professional leagues, teams from Europe are sure to make U.S. superstars such as Kobe Bryant offers they won’t refuse. The world’s gain will be the NBA’s loss.

The NBA will do everything in its power to prevent this from happening. And yes, that means getting rid of the salary cap, which is what gives each team an equal opportunity to succeed. Without it, the teams with the most money are usually the ones who win. (Take baseball and the Yankees, for example.)

The NBA has been the world’s premier basketball league for over 60 years. Americans invented the game and have dominated it from the start at every level. There were hardly any international players in the NBA before the 2002 draft, when Yao Ming was selected with the first overall pick. A lot has changed since then. Thirteen international players were selected in this year’s draft and that number is bound to increase every year. Players such as Yao Ming and Andre Kirilenko of Russia are the most recognized celebrities in their countries.

It’s only a matter of time before the NBA’s top stars begin to sign contracts with club teams around the world. Where will this leave the NBA? A league can only be as successful as its talent. It won’t be long before NBA teams have to outbid competitors from other countries, and the best players’ salaries will begin to skyrocket. This phenomenon may well turn basketball into a world sport such as Soccer, in which stars play for the highest bidders in leagues around the world. At least we’ll get to see our home-grown stars every 4 years when they play for Team U.S.A. – Matan Cohen, Special to Bobby v. The World