place -- but negotiations are only in their infancy, officials have disclosed.

Representatives of the National Basketball Association (NBA) have met with Government to discuss the facilities that will be available once the National Centre has been completed, with the aim of improving the level of the sport on the Island.

But Sports Minister Dennis Lister stressed that the NBA was just one of a number of outside sporting bodies Government had been in contact with in order to make greater use of the facilities once they are up and running.

"I wouldn't want to say there is anything concrete,'' said Mr Lister. "It's not going to happen tomorrow.

"But there are ongoing conversations with outside bodies. All conversations have been left open with the possibility of further conversations on both sides.

"The NBA sought information from us and we sought information from them.'' Lister made his comments following statements last week in which Charlie Marshall, deputy chairman of the National Centre board of trustees, suggested the NBA was interested in starting a summer professional league, with Bermuda one of the places earmarked for involvement.

"Once we have the facilities in place -- and they will be first class facilities -- it will help the development of Bermuda sport if we can expose maybe one of the NBA teams either in the off-season or at the beginning of the season to the Bermuda public,'' added Lister.

The NBA itself was wary of raising false hopes.

Terry Lyons, vice president of international public relations for the New York-based body, would only say: "We're certainly involved with trying to develop basketball in a number of places around the world and we're interested in the progress places are making in building arenas.

"But in no way is that exclusive to your area.

"Ten years ago we pinpointed Europe and in the last decade we've looked at Asia, Australia and Latin America.'' Nevertheless, pre-season games are regularly staged outside America as the NBA tries to spread the basketball gospel.

In October, the Miami Heat travelled to Israel where they played the country's champions Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Golden State Warriors met the New Jersey Nets at NBA Mexico '99 -- the seventh meeting between two NBA teams in Mexico this decade -- and the Sacramento Kings took on the Minnesota Timberwolves in Tokyo in two matches in front of a combined live audience of 60,000 fans.

Tim Trott, the president of Bermuda Basketball Association, recalled that the Boston Celtics had looked at using Bermuda for a pre-season training camp in 1994.

"But they didn't like the fact that all the facilities were spread out,'' he said. "They wanted everything in one place.'' The Celtics chose Florida instead on that occasion, but sent then Sports Minister Pamela Gordon a letter saying they would not hesitate to come to the Island in future if facilities were improved.