Nba on TV, in Italy in 1981 with Dan Peterson for the first time outside the US

When that Boston-Lakers landed on Italian TV on January 31, 1981, the game was already 13 days old. But he still managed to change everything. “It is one of the pillars of our Renaissance,” Ralph Rivera, European number 1 of the NBA, tells the Gazzetta. Yes, because if that 13-day-old match hadn’t aired on Primarete Indipendente, transported from New York on a videotape to hide upon arrival at customs, Rivera probably wouldn’t occupy the spot he now occupies in the NBA offices in London. Because that Boston-Lakers, which arrived in the homes of Italians with the voice of Dan Peterson, was not only the first NBA game broadcast in Italy: it was the first seen on TV outside the United States.

first time

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The 1981 NBA was far from the global phenomenon it is today. Despite the presence of iconic champions such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving, the league’s popularity was very low, so much so that it struggled to find space on CBS, the TV that owned the rights. The races of the Finals were even broadcast in recorded form, rather than being broadcast in 215 different countries as is the case today. The arrival of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson two years earlier had started a Renaissance of which that Boston-Lakers played on January 18, 1981 and broadcast on Italian TV on the 31st is a fundamental part. “It was a sort of Big Bang, a spark – explains Rivera -. It couldn’t have been more iconic: Lakers and Celtics, Magic (who was absent through injury in that match that Boston won 98-96, ed) and Larry Bird, the rivalry that kept fans glued to the screen for 10 years, before passing the baton to Michael Jordan and his Bulls. And to the 1992 Dream Team, the true global explosion that inspired entire generations around the world. But that game, that landing on non-American TV, is an integral part of this incredible journey ”.

Italy

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That first game, that agreement set up by Giorgio Gandolfi and Bruno Bogalelli, turned Italy into the NBA’s door to Europe. “That game was the beginning of many things, certainly of our presence in Europe – says Rivera -. A few years later we brought NBA, Nets and Sonics teams to Italy for the first time, to give our most passionate fans the live NBA experience. Since then Italy has been one of our most important markets: it is no coincidence that we opened our first store there in Europe. We have a solid relationship with Sky for TV rights, which has lasted for 25 years, we work with the federbasket for the Jr. Nba with 12 leagues and we have brought a series of events dedicated to fans. It is true that we have not come for a match since 2015, but we know well that if we did it would turn into an event to remember. We just need a nice arena that can host a regular season game ”.

history

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All opportunities that probably would not exist without that historic first time. “I don’t know if we understood then what that match meant, but we certainly know now – continues Rivera -. What started with a simple match has turned into something huge: passion, lifestyle, a sharing of values ​​that goes beyond national borders and this is probably the most important element “. It was 6 pm on a Saturday afternoon when, on the frequencies of a local TV owned by Rizzoli, opened just over a month earlier, the Italian public discovered the Celtics and Lakers for the first time (that first game will be broadcast today by Sky at 12 and at 5 pm), Magic and Bird, with the voice of Dan Peterson to tell the deeds of those who in a short time became heroes also for the Italian public. On that day 40 years ago, the NBA was visible for the first time outside the United States. Starting an expansion that transformed it into the phenomenon it is today.