Yanai responds to Tatum's comments on European arena atmosphere

Hapoel Tel Aviv owner Ofer Yanai did not stay silent about NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum's comments on the atmosphere in European arenas.

Tatum spoke again about NBA Europe, the project that the NBA and FIBA plan to establish in the future. The 53-year-old American official said that the passion in European stands can sometimes turn into a dangerous atmosphere and get out of control. According to Tatum, in some games a environment is forming in which fans would not feel comfortable bringing their families.

Tatum said that their goal is to expand the match experience while keeping that passion. He said they want to bring the NBA experience to Europe while sustaining Europe's basketball culture and sporting passion.

Yanai, for his part, wrote a short reply on X. Writing that most NBA games do not need sleeping pills for the audience, Yanai gave a sarcastic response to Tatum's remarks.