The Nets keep talking about branding themselves as the World's Team. The NBA's first international owner wants it. The team's marketing maven is convinced it's going to happen. And certainly, they're pushing the product. A game against an Israeli team to open preseason, Open Practice in Russia, two preseason games in China, and two regular season games in England. But is that enough?
Michael Wines of the New York Times gets a mixed response from international marketers. Being in New York will help. So will Brooklyn cachet...and no doubt Mikhail Prokhorov is a huge asset. But the Nets don't have a signature international player, having traded Yi Jianlian in a salary dump. They don't have a major star either, and everyone agrees winning big is absolutely essential to getting an international following. That seems a long way off, too.
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For the Nets, First the N.B.A., Then the World - Michael Wines - New York Times