Frank Leenders, director general of FIBA media and marketing services, believes in order for the event to attract the top players and sponsors, the World Cup needs to be seen in the same light as its footballing counterpart or it will ultimately lose out in the global "battle for fans", he said here at the United City Global Sports Summit.

"Our ambition with this event is that it will have the same status as the football World Cup," said Leenders.

"Let's put it this way, if you asked someone like Lionel Messi, 'What is the ultimate goal in your career?' he will say, 'I want to win the Champions League with Barcelona and the World Cup with Argentina'.

"If you asked the same question to Lebron James [of National Basketball Association (NBA) side the Miami Heat] he will say, 'I want to win the NBA Championship with my team and I want to win an Olympic gold medal'.

"And that is something that we want to change."

Miami Heat star LeBron James looks likely to miss the FIBA 2014 World Cup in Spain ©Getty Images






























Leenders, who began his sports marketing career in football and was involved in the launch and development of the UEFA Champions League in 1992 before going on to work for pay television firm Sky Italia, is currently in charge of marketing and sponsorship for the inaugural FIBA 2014 World Cup, due to take place in Spain from August 30 to September 14 next year.

There will be 24 nations taking part in the tournament which has been rebranded after being formerly known as the FIBA World Championships, in a move Leenders says was influenced in part by a desire to appeal more to "our friends" in the American market.

With some of the biggest names in the NBA still to commit to appearing at the tournament in 2014, including James, questions still remain as to how much of a priority is given to the FIBA World Cup at the top level of basketball and this is something that Leenders says he is trying to address.

"It's a question of authenticity," he said.

"You want the best players to be there.

"Our relationship with the NBA is very good.

"I do think that more and more you are getting players saying that they want to go."

Earlier this year, All-Stars Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves declared their intention to be part of the United States team in Spain next year.

Both players were part of the squad that won the world title in Turkey in 2010 and Olympic gold at London 2012.

The US has won 14 of the 18 Olympic gold medals on offer at the Games since basketball first became part of the programme at Berlin 1936.

Frank Leenders says he wants basketball's World Cup to mean as much to players and fans as football's FIFA World Cup ©AFP/Getty Images




























While acknowledging that an Olympic medal will be difficult to shift as the highest accolade for any international player in basketball, Leenders again referred back to his roots in football and suggested that with the right atmosphere and "European football fan culture" basketball players will want to represent their country in a World Cup.

"One of the key things is to make it a great experience for the players," he said.

"Playing with the national team is something special and for players in many of the American sports for example, they do not have that.

"It is that experience and to represent your flag [that is important]."

Leenders stressed the need for patience claiming that over time the World Cup competition will develop and grow and will be seen as the pinnacle of basketball.

"We must, over time develop the World Cup and get to the stage where, the first question anyone asks is who's not playing [in the tournament] rather than saying, 'well, who's there?'.

"We are working hard to achieve that, but it is not going to happen overnight."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected] 


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