Dan Dakich Says Foreign Player Invasion Negatively Impacting NBA Product
The NBA currently faces a multitude of different issues with its product. Players elect to sit out games due to "load management." The regular season is basically a joke, as is the All-Star Game. But, perhaps the biggest problem with its growth in the United States is the sudden massive influx of non-American stars. Dan Dakich addressed this on his Tuesday show, Don't @ Me.
We've already seen guys like Nikola Jokić, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo come in and quickly become some of the league's best players. But, it's not stopping there. Not even close. As Dakich points out, just look at the players projected to go at the top of next year's NBA Draft.
Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic of the Western Conference look on during the game against the Eastern Conference during the NBA All-Star Game.
( Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
"I had no idea who these clowns were at the top of the draft in a mock draft," Dakich said on "Don't At Me With Dan Dakich." "It was all foreign dudes. And I'm sitting there going, 'That ain't great.' That ain't great for the [NBA] if I don't know who [these players are]."
He goes on to discuss the top American-born players likely to be Top 10 picks and points out that casual basketball fans don't know any of their names. There isn't a single college basketball star expected to make an immediate impact on the NBA. That's not good for the league.
WATCH:
Dan On The Euro Invasion Of The Nba
I really couldn't agree more. There's a common narrative, especially among ESPN "analysts," that Americans yearn for white NBA stars. Maybe that's true, maybe it isn't.
I can tell you that it's not true in the sense that any white player draws American viewers more than black players. Nikola Jokić just won an NBA Championship last season. The games were some of the lowest-rated NBA Finals games of all-time, excluding the disastrous COVID seasons.
In America, we love to watch American greatness. The NBA has put its focus squarely on growing the game globally. Clearly, that's working. However, it's not growing the game in the United States.
Maybe they don't care. Sure seems that way, doesn't it?