Ryan Smith believes NBA's future is brighter than ever

While the creation of LIV Golf shook up the golf world and left the sport in a state of flux that has yet to fully recover, at least one NBA owner doesn't think a similar situation will occur in basketball.

Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith directly denied the possibility on social media on Monday, responding to the concerns of former Golden State Warriors minority shareholders. He insisted: "The future of the NBA is brighter than ever."

Smith wrote on social media: "As a shareholder of four professional sports leagues, I completely disagree (with the view that the NBA may face division). The future and influence of the NBA are brighter than ever. The increase in global player mobility and recognition, coupled with a powerful mobile experience, gives the NBA a unique advantage. In addition, the league's open attitude towards innovation and change is also gratifying."

Will the NBA face a threat from a new basketball league?

The discussion stems from venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya’s comments, who revealed that he sold a minority stake in the Warriors in part because he was concerned that a new professional basketball league could threaten the NBA. While this may sound far-fetched, it has already happened in the sports world—LIV Golf’s impact on the PGA Tour is a real-life example.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has launched LIV Golf and offered some of the game's top stars sky-high contracts in a fierce competition with the PGA Tour, but despite more than a year of talks about some kind of "merger," the golf world remains divided.

At present, there are indeed rumors about new basketball leagues. For example, Maverick Carter is raising $5 billion to create a basketball league similar to the F1 model. However, the league does not intend to compete directly with the NBA, but hopes to create a new model for global basketball events.

Therefore, although the global basketball ecosystem is constantly expanding, at least in the foreseeable future, the NBA will remain the center of world basketball, and there will not be an impact similar to LIV Golf on PGA in the short term.