🏀 Why British Basketball Sucks - United Kingdom - Ninh explains...

So why is British Basketball so bad? Is it just the fact that Team Great Britain are doing poorly at an international level, or is it down to a poor BBL British Basketball League? Does anyone actually play the sport over here, is it lack of participation or is there something that the media doesn’t want to explain to you? Ninh explains why Basketball in the United Kingdom sucks.
Hilarious article about Ron Scott and his fictitious organisation can be found here: daveballblog.wordpress.com/20...
Also, my similar video critiquing UK Ice Hockey can be found here …
• 🏒 Why Ice Hockey in th...
COMMENT, LIKE, RATE & SUBSCRIBE!!!
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Video: Copyright Ninh Ly 2020, BBL, NBA, Gloucester Rugby, Cerby County, BBC, IOC, Team GB
Images: Various
Music: ‘Chilled Jazz Hip Hop’ by AudioJungle
Narrated, Directed and Produced by Ninh Ly
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#basketball #nba #sucks #british #bbl #bba #ninhlyuk

[@mario27171]

11:55 Calling Lithuania a small basketball nation is like calling Wales a small rugby nation or Uruguay a small football nation.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah kind of. I know that they're pretty good. The point is that a country of the UK's size and wealth shouldn't be being embarrassed by smaller countries.

[@aleksandarspasic6067]

@@NinhLyUK But it's not size and wealth that play sport. It's just 5 people on each side of the court. Basketball is a national sport in Lithuania. Probably the only country in Europe that can say that no other sport comes even close.

[@layth6857]

How big is basketball in Lithuania?

[@grift5853]

@@layth6857 They came close to beating USA in the 2000 Olympics and finally beating them in 2004.

[@Toni1988ify]

@@layth6857 It's probably the premier sport over there in terms of participation, fans and TV coverage. Basketball is a big deal in most of the former USSR countries, but especially in Lithuania.

[@billhorst-kotter5184]

Sounds like Basketball in Britain is like Rugby is the US.

[@NinhLyUK]

Good analogy, yes. I agree with that.

[@mirzaahmed6589]

US rugby is growing fast and doing pretty well.

[@NinhLyUK]

I totally agree. Rugby is in far better shape than Basketball, even though their participation numbers are similar.

[@usarugbyleagueunionfan]

Bill Horst-Kotter USA Rugby (Union) filed for bankruptcy last week. Total shitshow. MLR Major League Rugby is on the up. Grest value compared to NFL and NBA. Great Fan interaction and the players aren't flashy or beat their girlfriends.

[@nperry106]

I've heard good things about MLR. I'd like to see Lacrosse become a larger sport in America beyond the collegiate level. Outside of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic it's not real popular. It does make me happy to see more high schools in my area (South) offering Lacrosse. There is a pro league in America but it's on the level of the BBL.

[@kishanbradleygammanpila4701]

Crazy to think my dad played for the Sheffield sharks and won the BBL

[@NinhLyUK]

That's cool.

[@WastedBananas]

I didn’t know Indians/Asians hoop like that, that’s dope!

[@60bangz]

😂😂😂

[@kishanbradleygammanpila4701]

WastedBananas my dads British my mums Asian

[@judebamford3383]

What was his name?

[@MambaBreezy24]

Some people are sayin oh the British are more inclined to Soccer. Well yeah tell that to Spain, they're kickin ass in both sports.

[@NinhLyUK]

Kind of, yeah.

[@TurboGauchiste]

Or France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, etc...

[@jeromepearson5706]

british football clubs should add basketball teams like Real Madrid, Barca, CSKA etc. have done

[@strongpartizan2698]

@@TurboGauchiste Turkey is trash in both sports.

[@realtalk6195]

Wtf? Turkey is one of the top Basketball countries. In term of national pro leagues, Spain and Turkey are the two top leagues, and in terms of national sides Turkey has always been in the top. They lost early in the last FIBA World Cup but they were 2nd in 2010 and were 8th in 2014. Serbia is a better national side but that doesn't change the fact that Turkey is a top side and an even better league.

[@fcmacbeth]

It really kills me how much the government cuts funding other sports team just because they didn't win at all. This mentality has to stop if they want basketball (and hockey too) to be popular again. By that same logic, they should have cut the FA's funding because they didn't win the World Cup since 1966. Again, this sort of mentality must stop right now.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, my thoughts exactly. Imagine if funding for football and rugby got cut? Seems counter intuitive. Totally agree with your points!

[@Brutakk]

Having football skills at a young age has always given an advantage to NBA players. Hakeem, Nash, Embiid all played football early on and it helped there foot work a lot

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, I believe so.

[@zenmar84]

Some Big guys who have history of playing football usually have good mobility and foot work for their size.

[@Rexorcist]

but the majority of nba players didnt play soccer at a young age so that's a very redundant statement

[@talibin]

Rexorcist Yeah but notice how the these players that have played soccer early own are known for their footwork and such

[@TehStormOG]

Don’t forget Kobe

[@pots_83]

I'm from Greece and basketball is a HUGE sport here...when I went to study in Newcastle I went to see the Eagles a few times...they were alright but some of the teams in the BBL are worse than high school teams in Greece...it's a real shame because basketball is an awesome sport!!! PS. Thanks for picking my team (Panathinaikos BC) as an example of European basketball...we are amongst the best in history!

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, I totally agree. The standard of basketball in Greece is far superior than here in the UK. And yes, Panathinaikos is great! Started watching them a bit more when Rick Pitino became the coach.

[@robertotampioc7318]

Basketball was more bigger there in Greece due to giannis' stardom...

[@pots_83]

@@robertotampioc7318 Basketball has been big in Greece before Giannis was even born...the late 80s of Gkalis and Giannakis can be seen as the starting point of basketball's popularity in Greece

[@NinhLyUK]

@@robertotampioc7318 Even before Giannis, Greek basketball was huge. And still better than the UK!

[@herlawman]

No Greece has just more culture. The BBL ought to compare itself to Belgium and the Dutch league which they are still behind, even tho they could be on the same level as easily

[@mmldtop6005]

Here in the Philippines , even cab drivers knew a lot of NBA bench players name.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, I can believe that.

[@herogebrial]

They love basketball over there

[@vasiljambazov]

Philippines is awesome country! They love basketball, they also love dota2... GO Gilas Pilipinas!

[@gonkong5638]

Crazy to think some of shortest nation in the world have a solid basketball team.

[@smugram5937]

im tired of this

[@epicrandomperson1998]

An interesting conundrum considering the facilities. But you're right, if you are tall, slim and sporty, in this country, you are automatically funneled into being a goalkeeper or maybe a centre forward or perhaps even a tennis player. If you are tall, well-built and sporty person, you become a 2nd row or perhaps a boxer. No kid wants to be a basketball player when you could be the next Peter Crouch or Jordan Pickford. Also 10/10 for the amount of Derby County featured in this video. Thoroughly enjoyed that.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, you pretty much understood what I was trying to portray in this video. Thanks for your insight. And yes, Derby County are a good team. They're worthy of the Premier League, it's just getting there that's the hard bit!

[@Steve_sufc]

Ninh Ly Derby had the shittest premier league campaign of all time

[@ProFoolman]

Mate the reason why Basketball doesn't do well in this country is that schools don't actually use the facilities they have, because kids are good at football already (for the most part or rugby) so they have no incentive to learn a new sport, and the teachers straight don't give a fuck as long as kids are doing some form of sport. When I was in school we literally played every sport once so the teacher could tick them off the list and then played football the rest of the year lol. Also no child wants to be Peter Crouch or Jordan Pickford and that's coming from someone who's lived in Liverpool their whole life.

[@chesterdonnelly1212]

Or fast bowler

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

@@NinhLyUK You should talk about sport sampling.

[@thedoughnutsayshello]

This sounds like MLS for it's first fifteen years.

[@NinhLyUK]

I'd argue that MLS was way more organised than the BBL.

[@tenko5541]

MLS seems to be doing well commercially the past few years.

[@giorgioIP]

Everything beats the bundesliga

[@giorgioIP]

@@coordinator3039 what stats

[@giorgioIP]

It's a boring ass league, it's not about stats

[@pleaseboi3410]

I'm surprised about the nick nurse part

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes - he coached a few teams over here back in the day.

[@AllyStrikesBack]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Football is a greedy establishment squeezing non football sports.

[@NinhLyUK]

In this case, you're probably right about that.

[@eksortso]

How much do sports in the UK actually compete against one another, at youth and at amateur levels? Could ambitious kids play both football and basketball, in one way or another?

[@NinhLyUK]

It's an interesting idea! I don't see why that wouldn't work?

[@jason4275]

Most corrupt sporting company on earth, FIFA

[@majapahitnationalist9813]

Ally1391 Strikes Back the only sports to overtake football in UK will be rugby

[@kof867]

A similar thing happened to Irish basketball in the 90s, at one stage it was the fastest growing sport in the country until the Irish basketball association got greedy. Now nobody plays it, makes you wonder what things could have been like if the hype continued.

[@shuaibghaffar6306]

It is getting better tho... here in Birmingham, Hakeem Olajuwon (former MVP) comes to do a summer camp every year

[@NinhLyUK]

Hakeem 'The Dream' does camps in Birmingham every year? Dude, sign me up!!!

[@princemwamba5230]

@@NinhLyUK I believe his son is also a top future prospect for the nba

[@User-ib3yk]

Ninh Ly There’s also a deng camp somewhere in the summer

[@MrAmulv]

Unbelievably Hakeem now lives in Birmingham.

[@yourfavouriteusername]

Andrew Mulvey Really? That’s insane

[@va960]

1:53 "Just buy a ball, find a hoop, and you're good to go." Yeah, that's one reason why basketball is also popular in my home country.

[@Seadragon77]

Another thing to add is that British teams don't fair well in continental competition. Leicester, the champions from the previous season, were invited to compete in the Basketball Champions League and were promptly bounced in the first qualifying round by a Danish team. This placed them in the FIBA Europe Cup, where they promptly went 0-6 in group play. This was so embarassing for them that they told FIBA to take their invite for this season's Champions League and shove it.

[@NinhLyUK]

I believe you're 100% correct! I probably should have mentioned it in the video, but I totally didn't know about the last bit?! Boy that's embarrassing!

[@Seadragon77]

@@NinhLyUK: Yeah.. it does come with a caveat in that Leicester was the first British team to compete in European events since 2007 when Surrey was in the EuroCup (it was known as the ULEB Cup then). Surrey, who was known as the Guildford Heat back then, went winless in that event. A key thing to note is that for a team in the BBL to compete in either the Basketball Champions League and/or FIBA EuroCup, the arena minimum needs to be above 2000 seats. Only 5 teams in the league have that.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, that's right. I think with a better professional league - teams would meet the stadium requirement. Too bad the Ron Scott thing didn't pan out! :P

[@steve00alt70]

Its all about practice, practice and a better team than you to make you all improve.

[@Matt11Cav]

Yea and then the euroleague president goes and says that it will give the UK a license that would guarantee them a place in the euroleage. While also declining that same license to Serbian,Croatian or Slovenian teams which are from nations that historically follow baskebtall...

[@robbiebalboa]

When you put it in perspective of the growth of the game in France, you’d think the UK would’ve made that little bit of progresss. You nailed it on the head of pathway with football clubs, as low as 9th tier is all linked to the most elite domestic football league in the world.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, that's exactly my point! If France can do it, so can the UK. And compared to football, basketball doesn't nearly have the pathways that football does. Good comment!

[@LUKE-zh2gs]

Italy can do that to not as much as france but they can

[@rougecoquin7296]

@Zombie Jesus You know there are black people in England too... Watch the national team and the clubs. Your comment doesn't make sense.

[@Agnitlafr]

@Zombie Jesus France got silver medal in Sydney 2000 with only 2 players of African descent out of 12 (Dioumassi and Sonko)... Even if nowadays, 6 out of 8 French NBA players are of African descent (Fournier, Batum, Okobo, Doumbouya, Mahinmi, Ntikilina, the first 2 being mixed). From our French Dream Team during the 2010's, a lot of them are sons of former basketball male or female players (Parker's father, Gobert's father, Diaw's mother...)

[@jeromepearson5706]

they need to have the big football clubs in England field their own basketball teams instead of the BBL, the same way Real Madrid, Barcelona, Besiktas, CSKA and others have basketball programs that compete in EuroLeague

[@FPSAlann]

5:50 mind blowing

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah, that's totally it.

[@NinhLyUK]

FOR CLARIFICATION: - (again) This video was not intended to be a shitpost about British basketball, or about basketball as a sport in general. I don’t question the efforts of the individuals and players that try and make basketball a thing over here in the UK. However, with poor attitude from the government and poor organisation from the national governing body, it’s an uphill struggle. - I don’t take joy in offering a critique to basketball in this country, but I do welcome lively conversation as to what can be done about it. This really is the current state of British basketball - IDIOT UPDATE (01.07.2020) after some members of the supposed 'UK Basketball community' filed a defamation suit against me, preventing this video to be shown in the United Kingdom, this video gained EVEN MORE POPULARITY WORLDWIDE. All they have done is prevented themselves from offering a rebuttal to the points made in this video (which they now cannot see). This is the very definition of 'cutting off nose to spite face'.

[@alliedatheistalliance6776]

If we had an NBA franchise in the UK it would help a LOT! Unlikely perhaps, but considering the population of London is larger than New York then it would be a reasonable investment.

[@NinhLyUK]

It'd be interesting idea, but I don't think teams would like it, nor the NBA would want that logistical nightmare. That said, they play games in London every year now.

[@RD-wg9em]

British American Football next?

[@RD-wg9em]

Considering where it was in the 90's and early 2000's compared to now

[@NinhLyUK]

@@RD-wg9em Yes, it's a shame.

[@jeffreyrainey1015]

As a fellow Raptors fan, I did a double take when hearing you mention the names Nick Nurse and OG Anunoby.

[@tonilando]

When I was working in sports development, my understanding was that before the 2012 the funding for British basketball was significant in comparison to other sports eg. gymnastics, and they pissed it away without putting an infrastructure in place to succeed and were shocked by the funds being given to sports that did better with less

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah, that's pretty much it. They actually did have a decent level of funding, but the poor international performances and the lack of organisation (even Kevin Routledge admitted as much), forced the DCMS to withdraw funding.

[@herlawman]

Ninh Ly the gb team were not tanked in 2012. If I remember correctly they were within a point of Spain. Had they paid insurance and had all their best players - especially a point guard, they might have been able to put a run together. I believe that was a missed opportunity to build on. They are doing better in the Euro qualifiers now tho

[@NinhLyUK]

@@herlawman I never said that they tanked - because 'tanking' would imply that they weren't even trying. And yes, one or two of the men's games were close. But most of them were a foregone conclusion.

[@herlawman]

Ninh Ly again not true. They lost by 5 to Brazil- and should have beaten them, imo had Ben Gordon decided to play they would have, and by 1 to Spain who were the only real rivals to the USA in that tournament and lost to Australia having been up by 10 at halftime. The only fans which was a forgone conclusion was the China game by which point they were out anyway. That makes them just 6 points away from progressing which would have secured funding for the next 4 years. Ben Gordon had he not pulled out of that tournament might have been the difference and certainly their could have been progress made had they maintained funding following that tournament. This video really underplays how much real potential to be a success basketball has in the uk. It’s stupid to compare it to the nba or euro league, but the bbl could easily be up their with the Belgium pro league for example with clubs playing in the lowest European competition, and a reasonable national team.

[@MrDazFF]

Ninh Ly They blew China out, that alone should’ve got funding.

[@yosef1475]

Congratulations for 100k Ninh! Speaking of basketball, I think it would be cool if you do a video about the Euroleague (format, rules, schedule, Final Four etc etc) for our American friends. I pretty sure they have no idea about it (well they have the best league in the world so...). Stay safe bro.

[@NinhLyUK]

Thank you very much! Just waiting my verification badge and 100k award now! I'll consider it! You too bro.

[@amchow78]

5:36 Posting this comment from Toronto! Glad that you are a Toronto sports fan, Ninh (based on what I've seen of your vids & comments)! We're proud to have Nick Nurse as our coach here with the Raptors!

[@theballersvoice]

This video is brilliant, it's really well thought through and talks about British basketball in the correct way - having loads of potential (basically that it sucks!). Hopefully I can drive some change! Great job once again Ninh!

[@NinhLyUK]

Cheers Tos! Good luck in your quest to change British Basketball. I hope you do.

[@nickhanlon9331]

I thinking hooking up with soccer teams might be the way to go as they do on the continent. Same colours, same team names- bring over the same fans on nights when nothing else is happening. Maybe a club membership badge would get you a seat at both games. I just checked the team names and they really are awful. Flyers, Giants, Scorchers etc. These are terrible team names and they've got nothing to do with the local culture. Sports culture is organic and doesn't come from the marketing department. I've seen this same pattern fail and fail again in Australia with baseball, basketball, soccer etc.

[@NinhLyUK]

Believe it or not, they used to. But they found that it had a negative effect due to the connotations with football hooliganism, and the fierce loyalty of these fans to football. The Manchester Giants used to be 'Manchester United Basketball', there used to be a team called the Everton Tigers (which used the actual Everton logo) etc.

[@nickhanlon9331]

I didn't know that but it's a pretty sad comment on soccer (football) fans. One of the reasons why Australia(I'm one of them!) has never really got behind the code is ''hooliganism''.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah, it's not something that Brits should be proud of. The immense hatred that some people have towards teams that have done nothing wrong to them, is pretty shocking.

[@Toni1988ify]

Yeah, it's something that was done in Spain, Greece, Serbia and Turkey. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Panathinaikos, Olympiakos, PAOK, Fenerbahçe, Red Star, Partizan... they are all some of the greatest basketball clubs in Europe and they are obviously sporting sections that belong to those football clubs. I think it's always been a thing in Southern Europe where most football clubs are sporting clubs with several sections dedicated to other sports than football. In Spain for example, most clubs used to have rugby, handball, volleyball or athletics teams... most of them decided to scrap them to focus just on football, but some others, like Real Madrid or especially Barcelona (they basically have a team for every sport played in Spain), maintained their multi-sport character. It has surely helped to attract fans from football to other sports.

[@thisismelv]

@@Toni1988ify I think that it could be a possibility since there is no basketball history or culture. I just hope there won't be games like Belgrade Red Star and Partizan 😂

[@lowkeyhoops]

Great content! I'm a British basketball page helping talent in the UK gain more exposure, love the video explained so much of how this country is failing the youth and this sport. Such a shame used to be really something, hopefully that will change!

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes thanks. I agree - it's being failed by the people in charge and the government. When even they admit it as much, it's hard to argue against.

[@fighterck6241]

It's weird because the UK is literally the only Western European nation that's bad at basketball. Spain, France, Italy and Germany all have solid teams, successful NBA players past and present and Euroleague clubs with long histories. The same goes for the former Yugoslav nations, and many Eastern European sides. And all of these nations are just as passionate about football as the UK so that's hardly an excuse. Came back to this video after watching how much fight the GB team put up despite not coming close to winning any games. The players on the court have passion even if their countrymen do not. And FIBA rules don't allow for naturalized Brits to populate weak spots in squad in order to help popularize the team.

[@edwardburek1717]

Hey Ninh, great vid and valid points made as with the hockey critique. As before, I'd like to put my tuppence worth: - When you have only one world-class arena among the whole BBL, you don't have a desirable product. And even then, the London Lions (formerly Milton Keynes Lions, I might add) haven't won anything yet. - Mind you, having said something about the type of venue used, there is a kind of make-do-and-mend mentality about the BBL and its teams - a certain unique perspective that seems to suit the league perfectly. Yes, the facilities are nowhere near as luxurious as something like, say, the Staples Center, but consider this - does the Staples Center have a three-seater sofa at courtside, as Leicester's home gym? - To be fair to the BBL, it is regularly broadcast on the BBC - but on the Red Button on the odd occasion, and mainly online. Elsewhere, you have to depend on streaming services... - As you may know, I live in Coventry - we used to have a basketball club ourselves, namely the Coventry Crusaders, and I think it was due to be one of the cornerstone teams in this so-called BBA before pretty much everyone smelled a rat. Coventry is now a hockey oasis located between the basketball-centric locales of Leicester and Worcester. - Birmingham used to have a big basketball club as well, the Birmingham Bullets, which actually emanated from another club that used to play in Cov - the legendary Team Fiat, who used to play in maroon and white striped shirts AND SHORTS SIR!!! Even in their pomp, they couldn't do anything right, even when as champions of the old Budweiser League. There was so much in-fighting there, in one instance there was presumably a heated argument between the chairman and the head coach which resulted in them actually dropping the championship trophy. - Surely, in order to have a strong league and a competitive national team, you have to have a strong governing body - not a body that publicly admits that they spurned any given opportunity to boost the game domestically, and therefore fuck everything up. - If your championship trophy looks like a piddling Waterford crystal flower vase, that league is going to struggle for credibility. - I'm old and lucky enough to remember the great names of the 1980's, like Alton Byrd, Steve Bontrager, Paul Stimpson, David Lloyd, and Colin North, and when games were broadcast live on Channel 4. Yet they were so cash-strapped they could only broadcast the second half live. - Although I'm a committed hockey fanatic, I do like basketball - and handball, and volleyball, and floorball, and pretty much any sport played indoors. These sports have nowhere near enough support and recognition, because football football football. And a funding body which is severely fucked up. Thanks for your efforts, look forward to catching more of your vids.

[@NinhLyUK]

Hi Edward. Always a pleasure to hear from you. To answer some of your comments. - Yes, I totally agree. I don’t think this country is short of world class indoor facilities, but the current offering leaves a lot to be desired. - A three piece sofa? Boy the English really need a lesson in luxury if that’s the best it can come up with. - If it is regularly broadcast on the BBC, nobody really knows about it. It’s not as in-your-face as the FA Cup matches. - Yes, the Coventry Crusaders and the Aston Athletics were the only two confirmed teams in the BBA. And even then, they pulled out once they realised it was a sham. - I believe that’s the problem of most sports that are badly organised. In-fighting between old men that think they know better than the rest of the world. - Yep - totally on point with the lack of strong governing body. - Yeah, at least make it look remotely trophy-ish! - I only started watching it in the 90’s, but I’ll take your word on that one. - I think that’s going to be a problem for any sport. Football dominates the country so much, other sports generally have a hard time competing. I always though Basketball would be a much better summer sport. But no … Pleasure as always!

[@SuperLdennis]

Thanks for posting. You hit the nail on the head.

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks bro, much appreciated.

[@elitesmartathletes]

Hey Ninh, I consider myself a member of the british basketball community and I love the concept of this video because at the end of the day you’re completely right that basketball sucks over here. However, I think some of the points you made aren’t entirely accurate (to the best of my knowledge) e.g. I went to school in the UK my whole life and basketball was never on my curriculum & indoor facilities being free to access when there’s only 1 in London that I can think of. I’d love to discuss this with you further though, you’ve got some legit points here

[@corythenbavyondandanimlov7802]

The UK sleeping on basketball

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, exactly.

[@harrisongray5640]

Tony Montana love watching a 90 minute game to see 3 goals

[@Kjenthegoat]

Harrison Gray 😂 i was thinkin the same thing.

[@harrisongray5640]

Tony Montana u obviously havent watched an nba game then, plus theres game winners and dunks and monster blocks in basketball that happen way more than anything interesting happening in soccer

[@Kjenthegoat]

Tony Montana a bit too far dont you think ? Anyone you could think of wouldn’t survive a crash...

[@manning0]

But Basketball just doesn't appeal to British audiences. We like long 5 day cricket completions and no score draws in football, not you score we score in Basketball.

[@NinhLyUK]

Interesting theory!

[@LeirkAnoras]

No wonder there's BREXIT on that world

[@S1LVAW0LF]

Yeah, that reminds me of a conversation i had with a doorman at a bar in central london. He said the scoring is too fast paced and back and forth. I said thats the appeal of it, but its what it is i guess. I ended up loving football becauae of the similarities it had to basketball ie dribbling, ball control, passing, elegance, back and forth nature of it.

[@razatiger22]

Thats only because the older generation loves to hold onto their culture. Most immigrants and young people in the UK are interested in Basketball culture, its a very exciting culture. No one thought the NBA would ever challenge the NFL or MLB in America and in 30 years its almost more popular than both. Basketball is already gaining massive popularity in Australia and Canada and they are in the top 3 most watched sports in those respective countries, 2 former british colonies. I think the problem is that the old heads in the establishment are preventing Basketball from getting any traction because they don't want to see the youth talent moving towards it.

[@manning0]

@@razatiger22 when you say young people, do you mean children or 18-25 year olds? And when you say UK, do you mean London by any chance? It's just, I've literally never met anyone who was remotely bothered about Basketball, I still haven't, even after another Olympics.

[@twincity6079]

In the UK, there aren’t any college level competition as opposed to basketball in the US.

[@NinhLyUK]

That's correct. We do have universities that have basketball teams that play each other. However, it's not as incentivised as it is in the US. It'd be a cool idea if the UK developed a college system similar to the US. That would go a long way to developing basketball here. Excellent observation sir!

[@tytube3001]

Australia doesn't have college level competition and we are still so much better at basketball than the UK

[@KiraDaBeastNY]

@@tytube3001 Question. How does the Australian basketball system work? Is it the same as most European style development systems or?

[@jactrich]

Boom ByeBye yep you play at schools and clubs with an identical format to Europe. Spain is excellent and basketball too so its not Europe like this guy thinks. The current MVP in the NBA is Greek

[@KiraDaBeastNY]

@@jactrich Lithuania and a lot of the Balkans are also great too. It's not a European thing I know. It's just Britain is ass and doesn't invest in it.

[@stewedchicken9676]

I would love to see the video about why Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Italy, Serbia and Russia are so good in many major sports such as basketball regardless how these countries worship football as their national sport.

[@NinhLyUK]

I'll consider it.

[@CCQ75]

That's an excellent point

[@Iaintsayinnothin..]

The points u mentioned are spot on My personal opinion: 1- Lack of indoor court's, hooping outdoors is very different to indoors, and if real games are played indoors, you really should only train/play indoors, if you aren't part of a team or youth program, you'll be lucky to get a court and even then it'll be max 2-3 times in a week, courts are like £30 for 1 hour too. Americans can literally play indoors at places like LA fitness with more frequency than UK hoopers even play outdoors, I think this may be a reason Cali hoopers are usually so much better than east coast (specifically NY) hoopers, also good weather helps too (look at the US West Coast, Spain, Greece, France, Australia etc) 2- No comp, or regular comp, American AAU has kids playing maybe 3 times a day for a week in some travel tournaments, in the UK ur playing once a week max 3- Football has the athletes, Basketball has some very good athletes but some of the tallest, strongest, fastest most athletic guys go play football or just do straight athletics. 4 - In high level junior basketball in Europe they play on lower rims, in the US the HS 3 point line is the top of the key for us, kids starting basketball at maybe 11-12 having to shoot a college 3 their whole basketball career surely doesn't help good mechanics develop, if you notice most US and non UK Euro kids shoot actual jumpshots whereas in the UK most of the kids you'll see shoot set shots. 5- Like you said culture, unless ur present at a game physically no ones going out of there way to watch a BBL game because with all due respect it's boring (but the same can be said for every league beside the NBA, Euroleague, ACB and recently the NBL), no history/loyalty/knowledge is built in a way that if someone asked me who's a great cricketer, Id say Freddie Flintoff (I don't watch cricket) , for rugby I'd say that Wilkinson guy (don't watch rugby either), for Basketball no one springs to mind on the level of those guys except Luol Deng, and he didn't play professionally in the Uk. 6-Earlier start, In Spain Serbia Greece etc kids are playing Basketball at almost the same age kids start playing football in the UK

[@Iaintsayinnothin..]

Also have you ever seen a vertimax in any UK sport facility?? Cos I haven't, US kids have world class athletic training facilities, unless ur part of a Basketball academy ur not getting free access to a weight room or facility

[@NinhLyUK]

In short: I agree with everything that you said. You're totally correct in pointing out that our elite guys don't even have the same facilities as a decent American High School, which I probably should have mentioned. But that's the least of the UK's problems. Most experts over here blame the lack of funding. I blame poor attitude from the government, the governing bodies, the pro leagues ... and (if you read some of the comments) some of the players themselves. They seem to be an incredibly 'entitled' community. That helps nobody in the grand scheme of things. Thanks again.

[@stevedavison6305]

Loving the docco mate! It has been a strange start since we receieved the first copy of the rules eh - they were misinterpretted and netball was born in the UK! In some 1980s, early BBL footage (a century after the invention of the game) British BASKETBALL players have a "G" on their uniform for guard, with no number! There are pockets of success for UK basketball, thriving communities dotted around. It's important to remember how far it has come in the last 20 years, just by the will of the participants, parents, and volunteers. We'll get there!

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, thanks. And there's no question with a bit more funding and accessibility, Britain might get there. I don't give a timeline as to when that is.

[@alfie3258]

The only good team rn is the Leicester riders who moved into a bigger stadium recently and has built up a fair bit of culture with the playing in Loughborough which home to famous sports university and college as well as the current champions at the 6 form level. It is also home to where the British basketball team head quarters are which I did work exercise at, when I was there they had 3 employees, for the the national team! It’s crazy. East Midlands as a whole is where it’s at for ball, there’s at least 10 hoops close by to me and people always play but no one seeks competition since there isn’t much. There is 2 out of school teams in Loughborough, but there is at least 30 for football. That’s just how it goes

[@NinhLyUK]

I believe that things can change. If you have a look at British Cycling, that's an example of how you can be an obscure sport - but with financing, good organisation and infrastructure, Britain has the best cyclists in the world.

[@SpitefulAZ]

omg i love these videos! keep them coming. i luv u 2

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks bro.

[@markcann7838]

Great video Ninh Ly. As someone who played basketball as a teenager and now picked it up as an adult, the one thing I noticed is that although there is a lot of schools, leisure centres etc around to play in when it's raining (which it does a lot) the price is prohibitive for people to train, meaning unless you get a group of you, it's going to cost £60-100 per hour. Those same leisure centres or schools would be happy to leave the court empty than have one or a few people use them. This lack of "practice" means unless the ability to get good outside of weekly pickup games is hard to do.

[@NinhLyUK]

Exactly. The leisure centres don't make it cheap.

[@JorgeRomero13]

As a basketball player who played in a BUCS (British University sports), I can definitely confirm what Ninh says in this video. Coming from a decent level in Spain, the league I'm in now is plagued with athletically more gifted players (taller, stronger, etc) but who haven't played the sport for long, so they aren't good ball handlers or have good basketball IQs. The problem is, as Ninh explains, how players pick the sport up too late in their lives. I have had drills at Uni level in the UK that would be seen as too simple or childish in Spain at U16 levels... It's sad really, with such amazing potential available.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, that's exactly right. The coaching is very primitive compared to North America and the rest of Europe.

[@seanMmaguire1]

At this rate I could see us having a more developed Professional American Football League. On another note are there any details on why the BBL lost it's tv sponsors in the early 2000's?

[@NinhLyUK]

If it wasn't for the fact that the BAFA is still largely amateur, you'd be right. The BBL lost it's title sponsor NTL after they went bankrupt. They also had a new deal with ITV Digital fall through because they too went bankrupt. Sky never picked the games back up and they've been struggling since.

[@SI-cd7xs]

Yup. I see way more organic support for American football these days then basketball. Which just goes to show how badly the nba dropped the ball here. NFL went from non existent to blowing past NBA’s popularity in the UK

[@TheMoeP]

Basketball has been expanding worldwide over the last few years, getting more and more popular, here in Toronto it has always been a hockey town but having the raptors winning consistently the last few seasons and the championship last year has made it the more popular sport. My hometown in Mexico now has it's own national league and apparently they're getting their first g-league expansion team

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, it's amazing how things can change quickly when countries and teams start winning! Hope the same happens for Britain!

[@HlM.]

In Australia the basketball system is like this Junior Career 1. Local recreation league where you play competitively or just for fun depending on what division you’re in (usually owned of a rep clubs organisation) 2. Rep teams which are usually one per local government area but more or less clubs depending on population in given region. This starts at age group under 12 10/11 year olds through to under 21. They also have a youth senior team which have the best players on a team regardless of age as long as your under 22. - rep clubs have multiple teams(number depending on amount of people willing to try out and clubs resources) based off skill level and potential - They play in a state wide league with multiple divisions where you compete for state title. - During this process you get scouted to represent your state (u14 u16 u18 u20 )with a team of the 10 best players in a given state where your compete against others states in week long tournaments. - During these tournaments college and team Australia scouts are watching - The best players(aged 15-18) in Australia get selected for the nba global academy usually only like 5-10 3. After Junior Career - The best rep clubs senior teams get promoted to the the NBL subsidiary league. Kids have the freedom to pick where they want to go. From here they can go to college in the states or play in the NBL if they’re good enough, which in turn can lead you to nba.

[@HlM.]

Also each state has a development program where you train and learn from coaches this also helps them select for state teams

[@HlM.]

Also Australian football and rugby are bigger than basketball but we are producing a lot of nba talent. My city(Melbourne)has produced the most number 1 draft picks more than any us city dispute population being far lower. Also josh giddey 6th 2021 pick is from Melbourne.

[@HlM.]

@@coordinator3039 did what happen to lj?

[@HlM.]

@@coordinator3039 what’s lj full name

[@mikel9735]

Great content. I enjoyed the video. I wonder if it may be a better idea to just add one or more UK teams to the Euroleague. I realize this requires league expansion. But, it seems less daunting then propping up an entire league to the level of the NBA.

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Michael.

[@aleksandarspasic6067]

People in charge of Euroleague would have done in a blink of an eye, if someone was willing to invest at least 15m a year. Jordi Bertomeu prefers London and Paris rather than established clubs with big fan bases in Easter Europe.

[@blueshells50]

thank you for this! UK basketball lagging has never made sense to me considering how well Europe has taken to it

[@NinhLyUK]

Exactly!

[@adambellebmm]

Spot on. It’s such a shame it’s never taken off in the UK. I’d love to see it happen but unless there’s significant funding I can’t see it ever taking off.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah, I think that's the main problem. Funding is the key to solving basketball in this country.

[@welshbrum13]

I saw the title of this video and was about ready to unleash... but after watching the video I see you are actually in support of British Basketball and everything you've said is spot on and accurate

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah, you're right. It's a shame, because there are talents here in the UK that aren't getting a fair crack due to bad organisation and lack of funding. There's no reason why the UK can't be just as good as Spain, Lithuania ... being as good as the Americans is probably a stretch. The point is, that the potential is there.

[@azor8435]

Great and very informative video. Thumbs up 👍 from Greece Ninh!

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks bro, much appreciated!

[@captainwilts2244]

I think this is a great analysis about the problems British basketball faces. I’ll add to the list the shambolic state of the lowest developmental league. My team entered the lowest rung of the official U-18s league in the southwest and the organisation is awful. We’ve had to deal with a BROKEN registration system which took weeks and a website that would crash just to register yourself to play. And then we’ve dealt with games having to be called off due to lack of referees twice, and when there are refs 9/10 time’s they’re massively biased towards the home team, players parents having to be table officials most weeks, some really crappy facilities, another game being declared void because it was cup final weekend and the other team didn’t wanna play us somehow and then a game being cancelled due to COVID a day before we were supposed to play. It generally needs to get a lot better so those of us on the bottom of the ladder (and some of us are quite good) can have a clear way to get to the top. Additionally to this I think british basketball has an identity crisis where it’s not quite NBA due to lack of technical ability but also not quite Europe who have an established basketball style which is pass first which is why players such as Donic, Jokic, Porzingus and Dragic have been so revolutionary in the NBA

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, that's exactly my point. The organisation of basketball is pretty shambolic. I think the whole sport needs a complete overhaul. Seriously.

[@GusMacGus313]

Nearly at 100K ninh !! Keep it up bud!

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah man, I just need more people to share my stuff and I think I'll hit it by the end of the month!

[@jackhodge2022]

Completely agree, doesn’t help how the BBL is not a competitive league and just leaves Newcastle and Leicester winning everything. As well as the BBL having tones of trophy’s which seem so pointless. Let’s hope things can change. Great video keep it up

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Jack. Yes, it's becoming quite boring watching Leicester and Newcastle winning everything. A new basketball league would have changed that. Too bad Ron Scott is a con-artist.

[@absolutely9924]

Thats exacly same thing that happened to basketball in Poland. It used to be popular in 90s-early 2000s but not as much as football (at least in UK theres premiere leugue - one of the best in the world if not the best leauge) but due to sponsorship withdrawing from sport it went straight to oblivion - most clubs if not whole leauge were sponsored by beer and alcochol producing companies but due to new law they could not put ads on tv (they could after 9 or 10 pm). So it went like this: law against alcochol -> no sponsors -> diminishing league -> no leauge on TV + lack success on international level -> sport is almost not present. Now theres almost none basketball coverage on TV. And in fact polish national team advanced to eurobasket in mid 00s and since than we are advancing almost each year. Theres almost none awerness of it. People only see football (we are medicore). Most kids play football and most athletic kids chose to play it. Now many players go to good leugues (german, italy) and our national team is getting better (in football). :(

[@NinhLyUK]

That sounds exactly what happened over here. Strange, huh?

[@slymnyy]

A lot of these professional clubs have basketball academies linked to them when children get to higher education level (16-18) which is way too old in comparison to football and rugby. They also have links to universities but instead of trying to recruit homegrown talent, they try and get people from out of the city and country to help win. They think this will help them build young pros who can eventually play for their BBL team when all it does is bring very good players in to low level clubs, lose most games but ball out because they’re head and shoulders above the rest of their teammates, get very good game footage and then leave to go to a bigger club afterwards. Only Leicester, Newcastle and Bristol from a developmental standpoint have their players from the age of 14 work their way up to their professional level or at least help move them on to a team that will value them instead of using them. I know this from my experience, being promised a lot of things if I stayed in the country and didn’t leave only to find that they’ve recruited loads of players who aren’t buying into the system and just want a year of good highlight clips.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, sadly this is true. Three decent academies in the country, ouch.

[@AkaThePistachio]

As someone who aspires to play basketball professionally as soon as I saw the title I clicked because I agree, from the age of 16 when I was first exposed to basketball to now there is no support for the sport and its a shame because if I had been exposed to it earlier my journey to playing professionally would be far different. I went to play at a top youth academy called London united last year and after that, I went to uni where the local competition is a joke and the coach doesn't even turn up to the varsity game at the end of the year.

[@NinhLyUK]

It sucks doesn't it? Inconsistent coaching and organisation are killing the sport. Sorry you're a victim of that. My advice to you ... play in the US.

[@AkaThePistachio]

@@NinhLyUK I think my best bet is to play another year here at uni make highlights and try get a coach interested in giving me a scholarship. Otherwise I'll finish uni here and start looking to play pro in Europe and work my way to the US.

[@kco455]

Well done! Great video 👏👏👏

[@NinhLyUK]

Thank you! 😃

[@fuentinho416]

It's actually quite simple. I spent a bit of time living in the UK as a teenager & played for my school team. As someone from Canada, Toronto to be specific, the main thing I noticed is that the culture around basketball was yet to take off. I compared it to the 'Vinsanity' era back home quite often. The lack of a bonafide superstar to support & claim as your own is the main thing holding back the explosion in the UK scene, Comparable to how Toronto & Canada had little to no basketball culture until the arrival of Vince Carter & the explosion of the Raptors nationwide. I firmly believe that once the UK has a superstar they can be proud to call their own or follow in the footsteps of, the explosion of culture will follow. Just like how the Vinsanity era back then inspired some of Canada's top ballers today such as Jamal Murray, Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, RJ Barrett, Chris Boucher, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander etc, All of whom credit VC15 in some way as inspiration.

[@NinhLyUK]

As a Raptors fan, I totally agree. The Vinsanity craze was pretty mega and it lit up Canada as a potential basketball hotspot. That said, it'd take more than a UK superstar to overcome the ineptness that is the BBL, UK basketball and the UK Government. Don't even get me started with Ron Scott!

[@freddycalipari4242]

Well there won’t be a vc situation in u.k. at least Canada is in North America and had a ball team..they wer’re already investing in basketball regardless of vc.

[@fuentinho416]

@@freddycalipari4242 Fair enough, the BBL & UK Basketball are absolute JOKES. That being said, many European countries have had similar Vinsanity situations with the explosion of basketball culture & that's due to their exports. Tony Parker for France, Dirk for Germany, The Gasol Bros for Spain & more recently Luka for Slovenia. They've all grown the sport exponentially in their native countries. I'd argue the UK already has a borderline superstar to get behind in OG Anunoby but it seems he gets more love from his alma mater than his hometown.

[@sirwoollyjumper4893]

Aside from Football, Basketball was the secondary sport in my secondary school. We had a new building built on the old playing fields to rugby was cut out for a long time. So in house tournaments, we had football on the 4G Pitch and then Basketball & indoor hockey. Of course I enjoyed indoor hockey the most. Basketball has all the power to become the UK's 3rd sport though... Sorry Cricketers! Also: The Original Manchester Giants folded 9 games into the 2001-2002 season!

[@NinhLyUK]

I totally agree with that sentiment. And yes, I was there when it happened. I was also there when the Manchester Storm died too. Terrible times.

[@alliedatheistalliance6776]

Ninh Ly Could you recommend any good podcasts in English covering the V-League, J-League, K-League or Chinese Superleague? Ideally a video podcast or channel with highlights, but that's probably asking too much.

[@NinhLyUK]

To be honest, I don't know any. I don't generally listen to podcasts.

[@alliedatheistalliance6776]

@@NinhLyUK Thanks for the reply! :)

[@NinhLyUK]

No worries.

[@LeirkAnoras]

Gol Bezan, Google Podcast subscriber 🙋🏽‍♂️ they talk about 🇮🇷 ⚽ the last time I listened 😅

[@paulyiustravelogue]

I am a fan of the NBA and I came across this video by chance. This is a very informative video and very easy to follow. So, 3 years after this video was released, has anything been improved in the BBL?

[@immersion726]

it's gotten ok ish. 2 teams went to Europe and didn't immediately get pummelled. New owners of the league from Miami started investing and games are on sky sports so bit by bit it's doing ok, but it still somewhat sucks. Stadiums/Arenas are still terrible for the most part and the league format is stupidly emulating football with a cup, trophy, league and playoff so there's 4 champions at the end of each season. It's doing better but not much

[@cainankeyles9019]

​@@immersion726Looks like just the BBL regular season and playoffs have taken place this season, London Lions did well in EuroCup

[@davidandrews392]

Exelent video!! I'would like to see video on british volleyball.

[@NinhLyUK]

I wouldn't be much help on that particular subject, I'm afraid. And thanks.

[@alternatesportshistory3605]

From time to time there's been talk about a "European Division" of the NBA. I know Adam Silver (NBA Commissioner) is extremely interested in expanding to international markets. London and maybe Manchester would probably be in line as possible franchise locations. I wonder if that would be a boost to British basketball...of course, after COVID-19 that's certainly going to be on hold. Incidentally I grew up in the US playing basketball, and I played for a team in the UK when I lived there (admittedly, that was 20 years ago). I'd agree with you on there not being a "basketball culture" in the UK. Most of the players from the UK had some skill, but not much knowledge of tactics or how to work together as a team. The other Americans or Europeans in the league seemed to have that.

[@NinhLyUK]

Oh really? I haven't heard of that one? It'd be an interesting move by the NBA, though I'm not sure that it'd ever happen. Cool concept though! And yes, the standard of basketball (and its coaching) is primitive compared to Europe and the USA. American basketball even at a low level is far superior. Totally agree with your comments.

[@aleksandarspasic6067]

That's not realistic. NBA teams playing more league and exhibition games maybe is. But expansion outside of Canada and eventually Mexico City is silly. And Europeans who care about European basketball would hate it too.

[@alternatesportshistory3605]

@@aleksandarspasic6067 I think if it had a chance of happening, COVID probably ended it...I think the players' union would be set against it too as the 82-game NBA season is already a huge strain with travel requirements as they are.

[@miguelangelmoraleshernande8988]

Great video as usual. Reminds me my own country. We have a "professional" league too (the LNBP), but it's not a good one, mainly because basketball is popular only in a few regions of México, mostly in the coast. Basketball itself is not very popular in my hometown and also the local team sucks, so the team is not able to sell out their 3,000 seats arena, most of the games get crouds of 1,000 aprox.

[@NinhLyUK]

It sounds pretty much like Britain! Thanks bro.

[@user-ng5ol9dl8f]

What is the most popular sport in mexico? Also why aren't there MMA fighters from Mexico. Almost every Hispanic fighter is American

[@miguelangelmoraleshernande8988]

@@user-ng5ol9dl8f there are not many MMA fighters mostly because even though the practice of the sport its widespread, just like frontenis or golf, people only do it for fun and not to thinking in making a living out of it and also because other sports like taekwondo​ and boxing gets all the atention. The most popular sport in Mexico depends of the region. In the central parts of the country and in the capital, soccer is by far the most popular sport, followed by american football and baseball in third place. In the north and in the south, baseball is king. As I mencioned before, in some coastal areas basketball is the most popular sport. By number of fans, I would say that soccer is the most popular sport with baseball comming in a near second place. American football was huge in Mexico in the 50's and 60's and faded to obscurity after that, but it's regaining popularity at a really fast pace. The number of football fans in Mexico is about 25 millions according to the NFL. Fun fact, there are 3 professional baseball leagues in the country, 2 american football leagues, 1 basketball league 1 nascar series, and 1 soccer league (with another one in the way), with multiple international events like the Mexico grand prix and the Acapulco open. There might be more professional leagues, but I don't remember, and also a lot of sports like jogging or golf that doesn't have a league per say. There are a lot of semi-professional leagues in a lot of sports like hockey on ice, rugby, indoor soccer, pre-hispanic sports, etc...

[@BazzA13]

You have Helped Me Learn About so many different Sportd

[@alexwebster9446]

Big john ameachi went my school was a folklore hero there

[@NinhLyUK]

Wow, that's cool.

[@alternatesportshistory3605]

You from Penn State too? Cool...

[@GoWestYoungMan]

You hit on all the important points but the one that stood out for me was culture. You can't build the rest till you've first developed a strong basketball culture. By extension, one can't expect to be internationally competitive. It's not like in cricket or rugby where there are only 10-15 countries with a strong cricket/rugby culture. This is arguably the #2 sport globally so there are lots of good basketball nations. It's why Britain routinely gets blown out by countries like Lithuania, Uruguay, Tunisia, etc.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, exactly. I think all these points form a nasty vicious circle and they all affect each other. Good observations!

[@GoWestYoungMan]

@@NinhLyUK It truly is a vicious cycle. Even if all the key pieces fall into place there's still the matter of developing a strong domestic basketball league. Due to demographic realities and the popularity of basketball in Canada/US, a UK based league has little hope of matching the NBA in terms of financial muscle.... and by extension, talent. Will British fans watch a league that can't match it? If history here (with gridiron) is any indication, lots of British basketball fans will shun the BBL for the NBA.

[@spazticus]

Great video, as someone who has grown up in a basketball family in the uk I can say a big problem is funding and organisation in the uk, each area and region had their own ways of running basketball in their respective region and there is no cooperation between them, there are academies around the country but their aim is to get the young players in to American colleges, and as for the bbl they recruit as many American players as the rules allow rather than recruit and promote home grown players, one reason why Europe does not have this problem is because sport clubs are large organisations, take Barcelona they have a football team which most people know the basketball team comes under the same organisation this is supported the same, I play myself play wheelchair basketball, this suffers the same problem in the uk compared to Europe, no funding and no support but this might but because it is a disability sport and people don’t take notice of disability sports.

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks Robert. Yes, it appears you understand fully what the problems are here in the UK. Sadly, it's not a problem that's going to change anytime soon unless the government starts putting their hands in their pockets, and the BBL pulls it's finger out. I agree with all your points.

[@jonmel]

Ninh Ly don’t really see a lot of natural basketball fans in the current government, they probably rather go to Lords orWimbledon

[@thealgeriantank2587]

I can see this changing if football clubs create basketball teams or take over their city's minnow basketball team. Like in Spain, they have strong teams who are run by the same owner of their twin football team.

[@ACBlackJ0ck]

Kinda funny, Basketball was probably the one sport I was ever actually good at in PE lessons. But yeah, afterwards it was the local Rugby teams for me. Heck when I was living in Scotland I got to play for a Rugby League team which I didn't know existed up there beforehand (Especially since I was far away from Glasgow and Edinburgh) 🤣

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah me too. I'm shocked that you played Rugby League in Scotland though ... it's virtually non-existent over there compared to Union, right?

[@ACBlackJ0ck]

@@NinhLyUK Yeah Scottish RL gets no acknowledgement even in local media (we do still get the Challenge Cup on the beeb and all the stuff Sky shows of course but you'd be really lucky to find anyone talking about "the match at the weekend"). I only found out about the local team because they had posters asking for players in local cafes and the college. They only lasted a couple years sadly.

[@NinhLyUK]

Ah that's a shame. Rugby League is a great sport. Shame nobody takes it seriously.

[@usarugbyleagueunionfan]

Johnny BlackJock I was watching Scotland vs Wales replay on KZbin a few days ago. I love both codes yet more of a League fan.

[@lordjayvideos]

If the UK followed the Australian model of developing Basketball from grassroots (Local Leagues to the AIS) to professional leagues they may develop a culture and following amongst the UK public. But it will take years of hard work and a lot of investment. The Australian NBL has only come back from the brink over the past few years due to astute leadership and investment, and it punches above its weight in terms of quality and watchability (ie more enjoyable to watch than Euroleague due to more high scoring games). If the UK doesn’t invest in Basketball it will fall further behind nations in Europe.

[@NinhLyUK]

In short, I agree with everything that you said.

[@georgeblangfordjr.1771]

Hey Ninh Ly dude! Can you a video about Box Lacrosse in the future

[@tracyp5280]

I've always loved basketball from a young age but unfortunately when I was young we didn't have courts around here and we never had a chance at school but even tho I'm an old granny when I get the chance I do go " try" shoot some hoops rather then just sit wasting my life loving the sport and doing nothing

[@NinhLyUK]

Exactly! And good for you!

[@MuswellMunky]

Great video Ninh. On a per capita basis, Lithuania are the best basketball nation on the planet though.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, so Lithuanians keep reminding me!

[@Daraghbreen]

Can you make a video about the 80s snooker boom

[@NinhLyUK]

That's not a bad idea?!

[@joanoliva8623]

Good video dude! I didn’t even know Britain had it’s own league 😳. I hope it grows in the future, I know Britain can have potential.

[@NinhLyUK]

Possibly yes. It'll take a lot more hard work and way more money.

[@cheadleandgatley]

Good video. While I could quibble with some of the details (it's a little harsh on my team - Manchester Giants - but only a little!) the overall thrust is spot on. No point blaming other sports, British basketball can and should do better.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah, the narrative was a little harsh in some places, but nothing I said wasn't true. And I agree, basketball should do better.

[@tomjay252]

It blows my mind to not see joint clubs of sorts here in the UK. I know running costs might be high at first but it’d all align once off the ground under the umbrella of say a local team. Essentially share the brand over multiple fields to a high standard like Real Madrid or Galatasaray have done

[@NinhLyUK]

Believe it or not, they used to. Manchester Giants used to be 'Manchester United Basketball'. Mersey Tigers (now defunct) used to be 'Everton Tigers'. etc.

[@chewbaccaabduljabbar]

Absolutely spot on with everything.

[@NinhLyUK]

I'll admit I may have a few bits wrong. But in general - the state of the sport in this country isn't great.

[@chewbaccaabduljabbar]

@@NinhLyUK used to play in the 80/90's British player never got a decent wage or of the sport although I tend to agree back then the imports brought in where drafted NBA import standard, full arenas , great atmosphere value for money, the sport should be on a level with most European powerhouses , but like you video said it's not, your spot on with most of the video 👍👍👍

[@NinhLyUK]

@@chewbaccaabduljabbar Thanks brother. Yeah - a few other people said that they played in the 90's and even though life was better, it still wasn't a liveable wage. Things are even worse now and they really shouldn't be. Thanks again.

[@richardwilliams2185]

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[@realMDizzy]

"Playing their games in what Americans call - The local YMCA" hahaha

[@jmr5792]

Take this from someone that actually grew up playing basketball in the UK. I have spent nearly my entire youth playing basketball in the UK and although I was never the tallest or the most athletic talent I was always willing to train nearly every day. However from my experience British basketball has never been willing to return that commitment. The fact that a basketball programme all the way in Spain was willing to give me a better opportunity to develop than my own country says a lot. Of course to play and develop overseas would cost a lot of money and due to that, I unfortunately couldn't take that opportunity and here I am after all these years feeling like a wasted opportunity. There are several BIG problems with grassroots sports in the UK but these problems get amplified when it comes to basketball. Yes, we have tons of sports facilities in the UK and many of them have basketball courts but without good coaching and a government/private entity that can fund recources there's little hope. Often the kids that leave the best first impressions in British basketball (tall & athletic) are the ones that get all the attention but even the extra attention and training they receive is amateur compared to what talented kids in other countries receive. That's why there's almost 0 hope in this country. Furthermore when we do have colleges that like to brand themselves as "sports colleges/basketball colleges" the level of training they provide isn't as what you would assume. Why should I travel hours outside of my home town to go to a "sports college" that at best is going to train their basketball team maybe twice a week, an hour session each when I could just join a local team and get the same hours of training at a cheaper cost? To add insult to Injury these same "sports colleges" train their football teams nearly every day from the best talent to the worst talent on the teams. I can honestly rant for days about the horrible system we have in the UK when it comes to grassroots basketball in the UK but I'll stop here. I'm pretty sure people who grew up playing this game and had serious ambitions feel somewhat betrayed too by the governing bodies.

[@NinhLyUK]

Couldn't have said that any better myself. A lot of commenters on here are European or American who come to the UK to experience basketball. Almost all of them complain about the primitive coaching and poor organisation of the sport. But I largely agree with what you said.

[@jmr5792]

@@NinhLyUK I have friends who have relatives in the US & Canada and nearly all have entertained the idea of going overseas and living with their relatives to develop. At the very least there should be a program in which a governing body and/or a private companies help subsidize the travel and training to make it cheaper for these kids to go overseas and in return these kids could then come back and help develop the scene here under some sort of contract when they're older. I've seen plenty of comments suggest that the UK should adopt something similar to the NCAA or Euroleague but the problem is the youth in this country don't even take British basketball seriously, it's a joke to most of us, most would rather pay the extra price and train overseas than trust the system here. Just because the NCAA works well in america, that doesn't necessarily mean it'll work here. Just my opinion.

[@edwinwan02]

The same situation with the NBL in Australia which has a sizable following. It is a popular sport at a local/junior level with basketball courts in all school gyms, playgrounds & community halls, but not at a professional level.

[@NinhLyUK]

I believe so, yes.

[@dumbass959]

I love nbl

[@olankelly6193]

In Ireland it's on the boom most schools have a team and if Adrian ighieon gets drafted it will grow away more. The once problem is the gaa football and rugby they are massive sports here in Ireland and the people that play basketball do it for fun we don't take it seriously Adrian ighieon left when he was 13. We have alot of people playing d2 that came from our super league but if you want d1 you need to go to the states in your early teens that's the biggest problem we need to get more funding better arenas and it will be a way bigger.

[@NinhLyUK]

I think everything boils down to funding. It helps massivley.

[@FreeJaffa92]

Wow, this time I think you weren’t harsh enough. jk Are there any indoor sports that complete for Arena space?

[@NinhLyUK]

Ice Hockey and Netball generally compete for arena space with Basketball. So much so that basketball has been forced out of most arenas now. The only place it isn't is the Copperbox, which it shares with the London Pulse Netball team.

[@lucylocket8130]

Seeing Manchester giants arena then and now just makes you realise how stagnant British Basketball now is and that the key period in the 90s was when it should have progressed but I'm afraid to say the BBL survives just about but even seeing this seasons London Capitals go kaput mid season shows you the financial side of British basketball is a huge struggle and teams just can't function on small crowds and lack of major backing. I for one hope the BBL continues to function as I think it's key to have the league in place with the hope basketball gets it's buzz again.

[@NinhLyUK]

Exactly. Good example with the London Capitals, it really is a huge struggle over here. Without funding, better organasation and public interest, it'll stay stagnant for years.

[@tpoltalksbasketball7298]

I’m an agent based in Stevenage who is dedicated to turning basketball into a commercially viable product in the UK. Imho the issues all begin with lack of funding whether it be to national teams, senior competitions or grass roots initiatives. This is doubly damaging as not only does it severely limit the talent pool in our NGBs and ensure the sport continues to be reliant on volunteers, but it also creates an environment where clubs and leagues have to fight each other for resources rather than collaborate in a way that would build the community you rightly point out we are lacking. In terms of why basketball isn’t funded like Tennis, Cricket, Equestrian, Archery etc (who’s participation numbers are nowhere near ours) - I think purely comes down to the demographics of those who play vs those who sit on the boards of UK Sport and Sport England who determine funding allocations.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes, that's a good point, and I largely agree with your comments. It's been widely known (but not officially accepted) that the people in-charge of funding are from a specific background or demographic that isn't typical with the demographic of the average basketball participant. The funding is a major problem for sure, but also people's attitudes to the sport need changing too. I think with a successful program, a better international presence, and a better image - basketball could be the next big sport. Sadly, it starts with money. Thanks for your input.

[@reivagner9523]

What's your email sir?

[@tpoltalksbasketball7298]

King Vagner mine?

[@reivagner9523]

@@tpoltalksbasketball7298 yes yours

[@tpoltalksbasketball7298]

King Vagner go to staylinesports.com and you’l find a link at the bottom of the home page👍

[@jpshawn9144]

Think I’ll stick to watching the NBA.Detroit Pistons all the way 💪🏼🇬🇧.

[@NinhLyUK]

Go Raps!

[@dylanhahami]

@ 1:42 is that basketball hoop on grass?

[@NinhLyUK]

It sure is.

[@thenazrul12]

can you made a video about rules explained for sepak takraw(kick volleyball). very popular sport in south east asia. would really amazing if you make it.

[@NinhLyUK]

You mean this one? kzbin.info/www/bejne/aH7chX2lpceiars

[@petergeyer7584]

The funding issue is always one of my pet peeves. So many programs - not just in the UK - pump money into successful programs while withholding funding from „unsuccessful“ programs. The problem with this approach is that it becomes a vicious cycle. The sports or teams with more money will almost inevitably be better than those with less which means that the best get better while everybody else is left fighting for who will be the least worst. Of course, part two of that, is what you do with the money when you do have it.

[@NinhLyUK]

Yeah, that accurately describes the problem with government subsidies for these sports here in this country.

[@petergeyer7584]

@N l2 Which is fair enough. But then you end up predetermining your outcomes. The math is very simple: programs that get funding will be more successful than programs that don't. It is true, nobody will watch unsuccessful programs. So, to your point, is no one watching British basketball because nobody in Britain likes basketball or because British basketball isn't very good? If it's the former, then your point is 100% valid. If it's the latter, then British sport and British basketball are just digging their own grave through not investing.

[@iakovossiokos7125]

Not surprised Panathinaikos was in the video😏

[@NinhLyUK]

Great team!

[@luisschwrz9488]

Hey Nihn can you do a video why football / soccer in UK is so a popular sport?

[@NinhLyUK]

I'll consider it.

[@jonmel]

Because it’s a sport that was adopted by all classes in British society and can be played anywhere and apart from the ball doesn’t need any special equipment

[@darlingboyMMA]

Interesting video. I'm wondering if the BBL has a focus on having established talent or if they pursue prep to pro players. While there is that obstacle of the youth pursuing football or rugby at younger age, an investment in scouting for youth outside of the UK (particularly in Africa I would suggest) could be a move that at the very least helps the talent level rise.

[@NinhLyUK]

According to some, they actually do.

[@KennyFCB]

Bbl actually reminds me of Big Bash League of Australia NGL.

[@gruff5997]

I really hope that Ron does something and something fast! I wanna play basketball in high school and I’ve only just finished middle

[@NinhLyUK]

I don't think Ron will.

[@phoenixmarizzle5059]

Maybe us in Australia need to play you or send our teams to play you. We can have the Ashes in basketball....

[@NinhLyUK]

It'd be an interesting competition.

[@kawhileonard9691]

Ninh Ly the aussies would wipe the floor with em

[@Toix]

And then we would both benefit from it people will always watch (hopefully) and the views grow year by year.

[@yourmomgay6120]

Would be limbs

[@dboyagod]

PHOENIX MARIZZLE 😂

[@tommyrex6648]

I've come to the conclusion that there is almost a subconcious type of bias in the UK towards US sports - Baseball, Volleyball, and Basketball are more popular in other countries than they are in the UK.

[@ORLANDOARIASORLANDO]

You're right

[@robertotampioc7318]

They just hate American sports

[@tommyrex6648]

That was exactly my point. @@robertotampioc7318

[@munashemsipa4177]

Thank you so much Ninh

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks brother.

[@elijah7525]

As an ex English player Leicester Riders, Leopards, Edinburgh Rocks, London Capitals, there’s absolutely no money in the sport and most of us had to take another job or accept pittance which isn’t anywhere near a living wage.. Great video.

[@NinhLyUK]

Thanks. I didn't know things were that bad that you had to take another job though.

[@kagisosegami2104]

Damn I didn’t know cause I thought dudes in states were just playing when they said most HS teams would whip BBL teams I guess they weren’t joking.

[@NinhLyUK]

They actually would! In fact, if you have decent game - you could probably give these pros a run for their money.

[@grantgunderson4202]

Young Luka Doncic at 4:03 lol

[@NinhLyUK]

Yes.

[@rory4814]

I hear the NFL may put a team in London. Do you think there is any chance of the NBA expanding into the UK or Europe? Or perhaps via relocation?

[@NinhLyUK]

Probably not the NBA, no.

[@rory4814]

@@NinhLyUK dang :(

[@Jkev24]

I feel like there are a couple of things that need to happen for basketball to take off in the UK. 1. They need to get lucky and have a transcendent talent come up and become a star in the NBA. I'm talking MJ, Kobe, Lebron status. This will help getting kids into wanting to be basketball players. 2. The NBA brings a team to the UK. I know this isn't likely, but there have been talks. I think it may be possible if the NBA can get those super sonic jets cross Atlantic jets we had in the 90s and early 2000s up and running again. The current 9 hour flight is too long for a sport that has an 82 game season. Bringing a team to the UK would also bring talented players from the US and put them on display live at least 41 times a year. That will go a long way in building basketball culture in the UK. 3. UK basketball needs to start poaching tall football academy players. Kids go through growth spurts and if they hit one as a teenager and end up being 6'7" or taller, they probably won't do well in football unless they're a keeper. There's a reason why there are not many Petr Crouches in the EPL. And the best part about basketball is that the learning curve isn't as steep as football. There's stories of nba players who didn't play basketball at all until they were 16-18 years old. For football, that's unheard of. The fact that you use your hands instead of your feet makes picking up the sport more easy than football. So while not ideal to start training someone in their late teens, it isn't impossible like in other sports (height and athleticism can carry a player pretty far on its own). I think 3 is the easiest one to start with, 2 would require some real funding from multiple parties, and the first one is going to come down to luck, but it's chances to occur will increase if 2 and 3 are in place.

[@juanantoniogomezdelpulgarg2273]

So you prefer having luck and usa saving your ass over copy the path of spain greece lithuania etc etc