Ben Gordon Insurance Deal “Looking Unlikely”

By Sam Neter on August 8, 2011

British Basketball performance director Chris Spice has said it is “looking unlikely” Detroit Pistons player Ben Gordon will be playing for Great Britain this summer as they prepare for their second consecutive Eurobasket appearance.

The ongoing NBA lockout has meant the price of insurance to cover Gordon for international competition is too expensive for British Basketball to be able to afford.

Talking to the BBC, Spice said:

“It is difficult and it is complex and if I was a betting man I don’t think it is going to happen unfortunately.

“We’ll know on Monday (today) but it is looking unlikely.

“In the end we have not been able to afford the same level of cover he would get in a normal year in an NBA deal.”

Spice added that he is “100%” certain Gordon will suit up next year if the NBA lockout is resolved:

“There is no question in my mind, if the NBA lockout wasn’t there Ben would be playing for us this year because the cover would be in place. I am 100% certain he will be with us next year if there is no lockout.”

Do you like our work?

We have a tiny favour to ask. In 2018 we set out to make Hoopsfix sustainable by building our relationship directly with our readers. Up until now, Hoopsfix has been creating editorials, videos and podcasts to provide sorely missing coverage of the British game and its distinct culture and community.

We have funded Hoopsfix with our freelance work creating basketball media, but sadly that means not only does it fall behind our client’s priorities, but some of those clients are the same organisations we need to report objectively on putting us in a conflicted position.

We want to devote more time to our mission of helping British basketball reach its potential, and produce even more content for the basketball community by making Hoopsfix a sustainable 100% independent business funded directly by our readers through Patreon.

If everyone who enjoys our content chose to support us, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $3 per month, you can support Hoopsfix – and it only takes a minute.

We are tremendously honoured and humbled to have a community of people who value what we do, and we look forward to being at the forefront of the British game as it continues to evolve.

Support Hoopsfix