Basketball fans in Europe could soon witness an NBA game being played at a soccer stadium. This is what NBA’s deputy commissioner Mark Tatum hinted in a chat with reporters on Tuesday.
Tatum said that the NBA would like to stage a game at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the home of the La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see the new Bernabéu, and it’s incredible what they’ve done there,” Tatum said after an exhibition game between the Dallas Mavericks and Real Madrid’s basketball club. “I’ve seen the system with which they raise and lower the grass. It will be a world-class stadium. If the circumstances are right, we would love to play there.”
The Mavs and Real played their game at WiZink Center, which saw a sellout crowd of 17,000. A lot more fans were interested in attending, and accommodating them wouldn’t be a problem at the 85,000-seat Bernabéu. The iconic stadium has been going through a renovation in recent years and is set to re-open in late 2023.
NBA has never played games at stadiums in Europe but has done it several times in the United States. The most recent example was the 2022-23 regular season game between the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs, which was played at Alamodome and attracted 68,323 spectators.
