The challenge of being an NBA fan in the LONDON

LONDON - As an NBA fan who moved to London in 1996, keeping up with my favorite sport in the UK had its extreme challenges.

Watching fully televised games was almost impossible back then, and the shows featured on ITV were more for the casual observer.

I remember hearing a New York Knicks playoff game against the Indiana Pacers in 1999 via Internet radio. Ironically, the website used to deliver that game - broadcast.com - was then sold to Yahoo by Mark Cuban and his partners for $ 5.7 million. The radio transmission service did not last long in Yahoo, but the Cuban went on to buy the Dallas Mavericks with his winnings.

The Knicks advancing to the 1999 NBA Finals, but the only way to see them play against the San Antonio Spurs was to visit a friend who had access to a German sports channel on satellite television.

The now defunct Sports Café in Piccadilly shows the large number of NBA games in those days, through satellite channels abroad. However, it was not always done in a fluid visualization experience.

I remember being there watching Game 7 of the Finals of the Western Conference of 2002 between Los Angeles Kings of the Lakers and Sacramento, a game with a classic by all, except for those who work in the sports bar.