Speaking this week to reporters in Paris, commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that the NBA continues to explore the idea of launching a league in Europe. Reporting in December indicated that the NBA and FIBA were discussing the concept, and Silver addressed those talks earlier this month in an appearance on Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast.
As Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes, Silver’s comments this week were his most expansive on the subject, as well as his most intriguing. The NBA commissioner suggested that he believes the EuroLeague – Europe’s current top basketball league – is leaving money on the table, Windhorst notes.
“While Europe continues to develop some of the very best players in the world — many of our most recent MVPs, of course, are European — we think that the commercial opportunity has not kept pace with the growth of the game,” Silver said. “And what we do at the NBA is we run leagues.
“We, of course, run the WNBA, we have the [Basketball Africa League], we have the G League, we have a 2K video league. So we operate five different leagues and we think it’s an expertise we have. And so we are looking very closely to see if there’s an opportunity to professionalize the game to another level here to create a larger commercial opportunity.”
According to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, the NBA is considering various models for its league — it could include new teams, existing clubs, or a combination of the two. Vorkunov says sources in Europe have continuously mentioned Real Madrid as a club that might be interested in leaving the EuroLeague for the NBA’s new venture.
While other EuroLeague teams could also be candidates to defect, the NBA has also reached out to some major European soccer clubs to see if they would have interest in creating new basketball teams, sources tell Windhorst. Both Windhorst and Vorkunov mention Manchester and Berlin as markets the NBA is looking at, with Vorkunov also listing London, Paris, and Munich as a few more possibilities.
The league may schedule NBA regular season games in one or more of those markets within the next couple seasons, per Windhorst and Vorkunov.
“Everything is on the table,” Silver responded when asked by BasketNews whether the NBA’s European league could feature EuroLeague teams. “So, [the] potential to include existing clubs? Absolutely there should be interest. The opportunity to create sustainable competition? Yes. Would we want to have a broad base of countries represented? Absolutely.
“I mean, that’s the benefit we have now by coming in and looking at this from a blank canvas. Incidentally, I recognize there’s enormous history and tradition here in European basketball, and we want to respect those traditions.”
Here’s more on the NBA’s potential foray into Europe:
- In order to move forward with a European league, the NBA would need to get the support of its Board of Governors. Windhorst, citing ownership sources, says there are still plenty of questions about the league’s plans, especially since some of the other leagues the NBA operates haven’t been consistently profitable. According to Windhorst, Silver suggested this week that a decision on whether or not to continue moving forward on a European league could be made following a Board of Governors meeting in a couple months. “We have an NBA board meeting in late March,” Silver said. “We’ll be giving an update to our bosses, in essence.”
- Of course, March’s meeting won’t be the first time that the league shares its plans with NBA team owners. As Windhorst writes, FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis made a presentation to team owners in New York in the fall about a potential European league, while George Aivazoglou, the NBA’s managing director of Europe and the Middle East, met with a committee of owners in November and spoke about which cities the league would target.
- League officials from the NBA and EuroLeague met last year as the NBA looked to partner with the established league on its new venture, says Vorkunov. The EuroLeague rejected the NBA’s proposal, since it didn’t want to give up control of its operations. “They wanted the heart and the head,” a EuroLeague executive told The Athletic.
- Vorkunov describes “dissent” among prominent European basketball figures about the impact of the NBA’s entry into the market. “I think the NBA walks into the European business and revenues go up a whole bunch,” one EuroLeague club owner said. “I don’t know how they do that, but they’re experts at it.” Others aren’t so sure, Vorkunov explains, noting that another club owner doesn’t believe there’s room for both the EuroLeague and an NBA league to succeed in Europe.
Wasting your time in london pal, the poms could care less about basketball. As long as euroleague is around, anything you do will be second tier. Or third tier even.
London and you don’t know sh h. If you think any team there or Europe or any place other than USA. Is second to anything. Cause if you believe best ballers are in Premier L. Then it’s clear which basketball you want.
Basketball is a gobal game and the NBA needs a new name…
As the best players come from outside the “nation”…
There are not enough households in the USA interested in streaming NBA games to support the current revenue model once the cable tv model fully implodes. The NBA is now searching the entire planet for ways that they can “brand” their product.
The low hanging fruit in China is no longer available.
The NBA basically told these guys either “partner” with us, or “compete against” us. They are coming regardless. Adam Silver is a trash human being. The NBA needs to figure out how to get talent development in the USA figured out. USA just not producing high-level talent any more. Part of the reason why LeBron, Chris Paul, DeRozan, etc are still in the league is because the talent coming into the league has been so bad the past several years.
It should not be room for the NBA league and the EuroLeague… the whole point of this is to get rid of the EuroLeague and start an exciting new era in Europe!
You have got to clean your own house first, before you tell other people that they aren’t doing it right.
Why have an NBA-run European league when the league in the States is as shaky as it is right now? Besides money of course.
There already teams in Paris and Munich, especially the second is Bayern’basketball club and no new team could compete with bayern there. PSG and Kelaifi could buy the Paris if they want it associated with a big football club. London and Manchester are list cause, they don’t care about basket.
I Italy all the teams are not associated with football teams but they already have followings, so it’s fine.
In Greece we have the biggest club in Europe atm and classic basketball countries like Serbia and Lithuania have also God teams and a lot of fans. In these 3 countries no new team would have attendances or talent.
The issue with euroleague is that’s a closed group in contrast to the champions league for example and it’s hard to get into it. No to mention that it’s not organized by fiba
“We, of course, run the WNBA…” Yeah. And we know how successful that’s been. (rolls eyes)
“… we think that the commercial opportunity has not kept pace with the growth of the game,” Silver said…”
“The EuroLeague rejected the NBA’s proposal, since it didn’t want to give up control of its operations. “They wanted the heart and the head,” a EuroLeague executive told The Athletic.”
Some illuminating quotes, indeed, throwing another spotlight at inherent U.S. American greed and illiteracy.
European basketball and its fans need the NBA’s oligarch-owned dull franchise circus of pitiful tankers and purposeful losers like a pimple on the rump.
That neo-colonial gall and arrogance alone to demand that foreign leagues hand over control and operations to U.S. oligarchs like subordinate entities, is despicable beyond belief. The war against TikTok comes to mind. Silver’s lies about “wanting to respect European traditions” are so obvious, it’s laughable.
Clean up your own mess, Americans, instead of robbing and destroying other nations’ achievements!
Basically, Silver is saying the Euro basketball is way too focused on basketball. It needs to be made more like the NBA, and ignore that element in favor of more eyeballs and dollars. Plus, this player development thing that Euro’s still dabble in is making American basketball look bad. Needs to stop.
I knew Silver thought 2k was a basketball league.
Next up, Silver proposes the NBA funding an AAU-Europe, to eviserate skill levels across that continent.
The right and only thing to do. Is go in business with The Euro L. Either buy the L. Or invest in them. The market is already set. They can have direct accessibility to NBA. You’d just be strengthening what is there already. Therefore increase the competitiveness of the L. The NBA of Europe.
The CEBA …… It is a Continent.
Continental European Basketball Association