PARIS — Amidst the excitement surrounding European basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama’s arrival in the NBA, Commissioner Adam Silver has openly expressed the league’s strong interest in establishing a new, independent European basketball league. This ambitious move signals a potential shift in the global basketball landscape, with the NBA setting its sights on expanding its influence into Europe and challenging the existing Euroleague.
For over a year, the NBA’s head office has been actively exploring the feasibility of launching a separate European league, distinct from the NBA structure. In his most detailed remarks to date on the subject, Silver conveyed his belief that the current premier European competition, the 18-team Euroleague, is not fully capitalizing on the commercial potential of basketball in the region. The NBA perceives this as a significant opportunity to step in and reshape the European basketball business.
“While Europe consistently produces some of the world’s most exceptional basketball talent – evident in the number of European players claiming recent MVP awards – we believe the financial opportunities surrounding the sport haven’t kept pace with its growing popularity,” Silver stated prior to the San Antonio Spurs versus Indiana Pacers game in Paris.
He further elaborated on the NBA’s expertise in league operations, citing the WNBA, Basketball Africa League, G League, and NBA 2K League as examples of their successful ventures. “Operating leagues is our forte. We currently manage five distinct leagues, and we are thoroughly investigating whether there’s an avenue to elevate the professional level of basketball in Europe, thereby unlocking greater commercial prospects.”
This revelation has sent ripples through the European basketball community, posing a direct challenge to the established Euroleague, which traces its roots back to 1958. For the NBA, however, this initiative underscores a strategic pivot towards global expansion, potentially taking precedence over domestic expansion plans in cities like Las Vegas and Seattle.
Silver now faces the task of securing approval from the NBA’s 30 team owners to proceed with this ambitious project. Sources within ownership circles indicate that numerous questions and uncertainties surrounding the proposal need clarification before it can be formally endorsed. Silver hinted that a decision might be reached following an owners’ meeting scheduled for March.
One concern for team owners, sources revealed, is the historical profitability of the NBA’s other league ventures, which haven’t consistently generated substantial profits. However, proponents of the European league concept suggest that, in addition to media rights revenues, significant income could be generated through expansion fees from new teams.
A large contingent of NBA top executives convened in Paris recently, engaging in discussions with prospective teams, media partners, and sponsors, signaling the league’s proactive approach to advancing this initiative.
“Our strategy involved spending time in Europe last summer during the Olympics period to conduct initial meetings over approximately two weeks to assess the basketball landscape firsthand,” Silver explained. “Following further analysis, we scheduled a series of meetings this week in January, capitalizing on the NBA games in Paris to further explore this opportunity. We will provide an update to our team owners at the NBA board meeting in late March.”
In the preceding fall, Andreas Zagklis, Secretary General of FIBA, presented a proposal to NBA owners in New York regarding a potential partnership with the NBA for European expansion. Subsequently, in November, NBA Managing Director for Europe and the Middle East, George Aivazoglou, delivered a detailed presentation to an ownership committee, outlining prospective team locations and financial projections for a Euro League.
Over the past year, the NBA has reportedly engaged with potential investors and team owners to gauge their interest in this venture. Furthermore, the league has reached out to prominent European soccer clubs to explore the possibility of them establishing basketball franchises for the envisioned league.
“The tone of these discussions has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s not intended to be adversarial to any existing organizations,” Silver clarified regarding meetings with potential collaborators. “The feedback we are receiving from potential partners, representing networks and consumer-facing companies, is that they perceive a strong consumer appetite, particularly among younger demographics – the NBA’s core fan base – and believe the market is ripe for greater engagement with basketball in Europe.”
As part of its broader European strategy, the NBA appears poised to increase its presence by hosting regular-season games across the continent. Building on the success of recent regular-season games in Paris and prior games in London, the league is considering expanding to new European cities such as Manchester and Berlin in the near future, locations that could potentially host expansion teams in a future Euro league.
