The NBA’s interest in expanding its global reach has been well documented, and it goes beyond just playing preseason and regular season games in various countries. Commissioner Adam Silver has talked about the possibility of starting an NBA Europe league on numerous occasions, but there hasn’t been much information beyond the league’s interest in getting something off the ground. However, some of the league’s plans went public Friday when NBA Europe managing director George Aivazoglou spoke at a conference in Milan, Italy.
Silver has mentioned that there’s been significant ownership interest from “a lot of well known wealthy European families, American families and institutions,” and with the backing of the NBA, it’s certainly something that could happen in the near future. Silver previously pointed to 2027 or 2028 as a potential start date, but Aivazoglou said Friday that October 2027 is being targeted as the potential launch date for the league, according to The Associated Press.
The current plan for the league consists of 16 teams, 12 of which would be permanent members, Aivazoglou said. Here’s a list of the target countries and cities that could get teams, via the AP. Nothing has been formalized by the NBA.
- Great Britain: London and Manchester
- France: Paris and Lyon
- Spain: Madrid and Barcelona
- Italy: Rome and Milan
- Germany: Munich and Berlin
- Greece: Athens
- Türkiye: Istanbul
The remaining four teams would qualify to join the league by winning either FIBA’s Champions League, or based on their performance in their domestic leagues, Aivazoglou said. There have been no deals made with any cities or existing clubs, however, it’s been mentioned that several EuroLeague teams would be considered as permanent members, like Spanish powerhouse club Real Madrid.
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Aivazoglou said that the first season may not feature all 16 teams as the league gets off the ground, but that is the long-term hope.
“We’re well underway in our approach and engagement with the market,” Aivagolozu said. “We’re having serious discussions with respect to investors.”
Another feature that is being considered with the creation of this league is having NBA teams face some of the European squads.
“One of the things that we’ll do very soon after we launch this league is probably create a new tournament,” Aivogolozu said.
That tournament could be similar to the FIFA World Cup, but it would differ because players wouldn’t necessarily be playing for their home countries.
If this league were to get off the ground, it would certainly create some competition for the NBA. Silver’s said in the past that he isn’t concerned about losing talent to this league, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. It won’t be an immediate concern, but perhaps down the line some top international players may consider staying in Europe instead of playing in the NBA in the United States.
On paper, this sounds like an exciting new venture for the league, and would be a great representation of how global the sport of basketball really is. There’s a record 135 international players on NBA rosters this season, which represents roughly 30% of the total players in the league. This new league would show just how much global interest there is in basketball, and allows the NBA to expand on a level that can only be compared to soccer.