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In England—the nation that produced the basketball talents of Luol Deng and Ben Gordon—the NBA isn’t normally a part of the sports media’s main course. There may be a few mentions here and there about those players and their contributions, but ultimately it’s more of a side dish. But the basketball world was brought to the foreground on Tuesday, when the Avila Premiership Rugby champions turned out to be yet another successful sports team influenced by the San Antonio Spurs.
Kelly Brown, a flanker for the championship-winning Sarasens F.C. team, credited the Spurs as a source of motivation after their loss in last year’s final. “We spent all year pounding the rock,” he said, referencing some of the lingo the Spurs used after last years finals.
This is just another example of the Silver & Black spreading the appreciation of basketball beyond the United States, something that the franchise has rightfully earned a reputation for.
It starts with the players—that much is obvious. Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Boris Diaw, Patty Mills and more are all imports. These countries have a number of basketball fans that wouldn’t otherwise be interested in the league and end up becoming avid NBA fans. Also, the high-profile celebrity status NBA players enjoy only works to inspire more foreigners to pick up a basketball and learn about the game. But the Spurs’ contribution to basketball’s overseas popularity goes beyond just bringing in international talents.
Another reason is the visual appeal of the Spurs’ fundamentally sound, pass-first brand of basketball; it closer resembles the feel of elite European soccer powers than the isolation style offense of a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder. There’s a kind of beauty in great teamwork that’s universally enjoyable among sports fans. It’s easily found within a few minutes of observing the Spurs’ craft; their precise passes and cohesive defensive effort are a work of art.
The Spurs, in particular Gregg Popovich, also make a conscious effort to set themselves apart from certain American stereotypes. Popovich has always shown a lot of respect to the foreign teams that try their hand in the NBA preseason, particularly when the Spurs actually lost in their effort against Alba Berlin, one of the top Euroleague teams. He also has been known to go on rants against calling NBA Finals winners “world champions” when they’ve only competed against teams from a single continent. Instead of feeling that the NBA doesn’t take the international squads seriously, overseas franchises see a welcoming picture from San Antonio.
As players from other countries continue to pour into the NBA by bunches, the league in large part has the Spurs to thank for their influence. Their confidence in foreign draft prospects, fluent style of basketball and respect for the full world of the game has allowed the Spurs to transcend their influence beyond just American sports.
