Mayor of London meets with NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum about major basketball opportunities in the capital

• Sadiq met NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum to discuss their shared ambition to expand basketball in London
• Mayor has committed to establishing a first-of-its-kind taskforce to grow the game and wants London to host more NBA games and activities
• New research shows that 62 per cent of Londoners feel proud of living in London when major sporting events are hosted

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today pledged to build on the growing success of basketball in the capital, as he announced his desire to bring more NBA games and activities to the capital.

The Mayor met NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum to discuss their shared ambition to expand the sport’s reach and influence in the capital, including through live NBA games. A taskforce will be created to grow the game in London.

Basketball is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK and is the country’s second most popular team sport with more than 1.5m playing on a weekly basis.*

Sadiq has pledged to create a first-of-its-kind basketball taskforce to develop and grow the game, boost access to basketball, attract new events to London, including the return of NBA games, and create positive opportunities for young people. The taskforce will bring together leaders in sport, business, national governing bodies and professional basketball teams and players, and the Mayor has invited senior figures from the NBA to participate.

The Mayor has previously backed the London Coaches Program, a collaboration between the NBA and Basketball England to train hundreds of coaches across the city and boost basketball participation.

London has a proud history of hosting high profile North American sporting events and this year hosted the USA Basketball Men’s and Women’s National Teams at the USA Basketball Showcase. The capital also welcomed two Major League Baseball matches between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. In July, Sadiq also held talks with Paul “Triple H” Levesque to discuss the possibility of bringing WrestleMania to London.

Today’s meeting came as new research showed that Londoners are passionate about major sporting events taking place in the capital**. Polling from YouGov found that 62 per cent of Londoners feel proud of living in London when major sporting events are hosted, with 72 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds feeling proud. More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of Londoners think that hosting major sporting events impacts positively on London’s economy.

An estimated six million people attended sporting events across the capital this summer including the UEFA Champions League Final and European Professional Club Rugby Finals, cementing London’s position as the undisputed sporting capital of the world*** and significantly boosting the capital’s economy.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It was great to meet with NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum today to discuss the possibility of bringing more NBA games and activities to London and how we can further expand the game in the capital. Basketball continues to go from strength-to-strength and by creating a new taskforce I want to help it grow even further, enabling more young people to access and enjoy the sport.

“London has provided the stage for so many unforgettable sporting moments and I’m committed to making sure we further cement our position as the sporting capital of the world. I look forward to working closely with the NBA and other global sports to extend their activities in London and ensure we continue to have a packed calendar of world-class sporting events.

NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum, said: “The NBA has a long history of playing games in London, and we are committed to further growing the game in the city and across the UK. Through grassroots programs for youth and coaches, weekly games that air in primetime on TNT Sports, the beautiful new NBA Store on Oxford Street and more, there has never been a better time to be an NBA fan in London.  We look forward to working more closely with Mayor Khan and his administration to build on these efforts in the years to come.”