NBA Exploring Starting New Tournament Or League In Europe

[ALonelyDad]

LINK: EuroLeague CEO on collaboration with NBA, expansion to 20 teams and NCAA

Quotes from Euroleague CEO : "What we heard is the same as what is publicly known, that they’re in the exploration mode, and they’re trying to see how and what. We said to them, like we said publicly, we don’t believe that the new league is something that would help the market,"


"Because I repeat it and I said it before: we don’t need a new league. We are doing really good. The league is growing. We’re happy to go and do it together with NBA and continuously use their power to grow the basketball in Europe. So we’re open to that


Seems like they want a partnership but are afraid the NBA is trying to take over.

They are right, NBA will try to come in as a partnership but their goal ultimately is to fully take over. Euroleague would be dumb to fall for it. And its a shame that this will now mean no expansion coming soon. I was listening to Bill Simmons podcast, he said a lot of owners were against expansion because they didn't want to share money

 

[THE 101]

Let me guess, Israel is going to be included like they do in European soccer

 

[hashmander]

Let me guess, Israel is going to be included like they do in European soccer

they already are. Maccabi Tel Aviv are 6x champs ... well so that makes it not like soccer where israeli teams suck are just making up the numbers. there is also a team from Dubai.

 

[Belize King]

NBA vs FIBA for the World Heavyweight Universal Undisputed Championship Title

 

[Belize King]

The NBA is more interested in European expansion than domestic expansion. The Sonics and Vegas expansion clubs have quite an uphill climb to come to fruition. I'll never say never, but that light is dim.

You’re exactly right. Silver was talking about this more than expansion.

Probably need to force the Benson family to sell the Pelicans and move them to Seattle.

Idk how Vegas would get a team. The Hornets would be good, but they just got back. Wizards maybe? DC support their team like that? I think Ted reps the area hard though. He rather move to Northern Virginia.

Don’t sleep on Portland. The Allen family is about to sell. Idk if they own the arena as well but maybe the potential buyers would consider Vegas.

 

[Illuminatos]

Bring teams in from other leagues into the in-season tournament and I might care about it.

 

[SPACE IS FAKE]

So they tryna beat Bron to
The punch?

 

[drifter]

So they tryna beat Bron to
The punch?

He's saying there's a third with them. Bron, Nikola, X

 

[drifter]

If all these new projects were just for super minor pieces, shyt like Cube's Big 3, we wouldn't be seeing or hearing about as many as we do. Names like LeBron's wouldn't be interested either.

When the golfers sold their asses to the Saudis a handful of years ago and threw "tradition" in the garbage can, that sparked something these traditional leagues will have to deal with one way or another.

If WNBA is refusing to pay and Unrivaled can take steps towards that with steady backing, why can't WNBA be wiped out and replaced? Unrivaled's got marketing already, cool jerseys/merch, solid team names, big names already there, etc. Feels fresher and more must see than the avg WNBA game, sort of like the Champions League. And it wouldn't take long to beat the WNBA like a NBA, all it would really take is Clark signing exclusively. You'd get more teams eventually and things will level out but players are comped appropriately.

If another league got started that addresses everything everybody shyts on the NBA for, that with LeBron as the face, isn't taking over things overnight or as quick as Unrivaled could. But in 10-20 years and young players that would've been lotto picks for the NBA going over there instead, things get super interesting. Bron's probably the only one besides Bean that could make it work, I don't think anybody else's brand is strong enough, including Jordan honestly. It needs to be somebody that's enough from this era that can push, Jordan's ghost's ghost is retired in the other league. You have to have scored 30 live in at least 720p. I'm not knocking Steph, he's a strong name but he's not at that level.

Bron's not putting his name on horseshyt, they're not trying to recruit top guys like Jokic or go to the Saudis for funding like LeBron did a couple years ago for Ice Cube exhibitions. It's going to be a real league. It's not a shock to see the NBA try and respond and buy Euroleague, that locks players that could go over there up, creates additional revenue, and would stop a lot of criticism over time. People talk how soft & easy America is compared to overseas now, if NBA & Euroleague play the same way, what are you going to compare?

 

[FakeNews]

NBA Europe franchise fees likely to exceed $500M

The NBA is pursuing franchise fees of more than $500M from teams looking to join the prospective NBA Europe, with multiple sources maintaining the league’s preferred number is “somewhere between’’ half a billion and $1B.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

The NBA is pursuing franchise fees of more than $500M from teams looking to join the prospective NBA Europe, with multiple sources maintaining the league’s preferred number is somewhere between half a billion and $1B.

Following the BOG meetings two weeks ago in Las Vegas, one governor told SBJ that the Europe league is “very high priority.” However, another source said the league is willing to walk away if it does not receive entry fees in the desired number range.

Sources confirmed that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatumhave been in Europe this week for advancing talks with would-be NBA Europe stakeholders. Franchise valuations are also said to be part of ancillary discussions with banks and private equity conglomerates, as part of an effort to settle on a dollar figure.

An official from one EuroLeague franchise had earlier scoffed at a proposed $500M figure, and -- considering the template for NBA Europe includes existing EuroLeague clubs -- it seemed unclear whether teams will be priced out of joining.

“Look, the FC Barcelonas and the PSGs and the Manchester Citys, they can do [between $500M and $1B],” said one source briefed on the NBA’s plan.

Although Silver has said an NBA Europe launch would likely be two or three years away, another source is convinced it is being vetted and prioritized this summer to stave off another potential international league with ties to LeBron James’ business partner Maverick Carter. That prospective league would consist of six men’s and women’s teams playing in rotating global cities and is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which brought Carter on as an advisor.

In fact, Eurohoops.net reported that an Instagram post by Nikola Jokić’s agent Miško Ražnatović -- that included Jokić, James and Carter together on a boat this week -- was possibly the three of them discussing Carter’s league. The caption of the post said, “The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026.”

On the subject of Carter and James going head-to-head against the NBA -- even though James has previously said he is not part of Carter’s advisement team -- one NBA team executive said, “I’ll tell you, you may think I’m crazy, but I think the catalyst of this [NBA Europe] going quicker is they’re worried LeBron and Maverick are going to get the Saudis and start like a league. I think without a question, they [the NBA] think it’s direct competition.”

Asked why James would compete against his own NBA, the executive said, “LeBron doesn’t give a sh**. Not if Saudi gives LeBron $200 million in cash and calls it a night.”

Sources said the NBA, meanwhile, appears all-in on NBA Europe because it believes EuroLeague franchises are not being run as high-end businesses and have untapped commercial upside. The hope is that arenas can be built or renovated to include premium seating, which is all why the proposed franchise valuations are prohibitive.

As of a year ago, EuroLeague teams were reportedly earning roughly $100M in annual revenue, which sources said is another reason why the NBA sees this proposed 16-team league as its next phase of financial growth, especially with the national media rights deal wrapped up for the next 11 years. It is also a potential windfall for NBA owners because they are partnering with the league office on the project and can earn money on it without having to run the NBA Europe teams.

Some owners, in fact, see it as the perfect reason not to expand domestically to Seattle, Las Vegas, etc. Instead, they can expand with NBA Europe and not give up two slices of their national media rights money.

“I think it’s going to happen,” said one source from the recent BOG meetings. “I think that as much as they see it as an opportunity, I also think there’s a bit of defense mechanism as well. You know, we’ve got to protect the game. I think Adam and Mark believe that it’s our responsibility to protect the global game. And to commercialize it.”

 

[Nero Christ]

I said it some years ago but hoops has gone as far as it can in the US.

 

[SPACE IS FAKE]

He's saying there's a third with them. Bron, Nikola, X

I understand that I’m saying that it looks like it’s Bron is starting his league n the NBA starting their league. So I’m asking m Is that why the NBA is focusing on this rather than expansion? To beat Bron to the punch

 

[Goat poster]

Y'all gotta see the BIG PICTURE (not saying I agree with silver)


A functional European league with a 500 MILLION $ buy in >>>>>> teams in Seattle and Vegas.

It's just too much money internationally and basketball STILL has major growth potential worldwide. So many fans in Europe and Asia.

I want the Sonics back as well and I think we will eventually get them but this is a basketball space race.

 

[K-Apps]

 

[Goat poster]

Bill Simmons shed new light on the NBA’s ongoing push to establish a European league, detailing on the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast several prominent soccer clubs interested in becoming stakeholders. As the NBA continues exploring ways to expand its international footprint, Simmons pointed to expiring licensing deals and ownership shifts across Europe as key opportunities for basketball growth.















“The opportunity is that Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in the Euro League have not re-upped. They have their licensing deals expiring in 2026 and basically become free agents,” Simmons said. “Adam Silver’s been intrigued by this forever. I feel like, and there has been some reporting about this too, I feel like the league is cooling off on expansion for the NBA and kind of looking abroad at this Euro thing as a real opportunity.”


NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum recently traveled to London, where they met with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other international investors to discuss the potential formation of an NBA Europe league. According to Simmons, those discussions also included high-profile European football clubs.

“Adam is out there meeting with his crew with all these possible investors, with some soccer teams,” Simmons added. “Here is the opportunity. Paris, growing market with Wemby. London completely untapped… There’s these massive soccer clubs that want to grow their blueprint in basketball.”

Bill Simmons outlines European power clubs and markets targeted for NBA-backed league​

Simmons said the NBA is actively pursuing Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, both of which have the option to exit the current EuroLeague system when their licensing agreements expire in 2026. He also pointed to AC Milan — owned by RedBird Capital Partners — as another club already aligned with the NBA’s vision.




“In Paris, you could have PSG, which is owned by the Qatar Sports Investments, which was reported all week that Silver met with them,” Simmons said. “Paris Basketball won the 2024 EuroCup but isn’t officially in the EuroLeague. Maybe you could add both of them.”

He also referenced the London Lions, who currently lack a permanent EuroLeague affiliation. Simmons suggested that major Premier League clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, or Manchester City could either acquire existing teams or launch new ones to join the proposed NBA-backed league.

“You could have one of the top, Arsenal, Chelsea — any of those — buy one of those teams and launch their own,” he added.

Simmons estimates the NBA Euro League could launch with between 8 to 12 teams, potentially including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG, London-based teams, Olympiacos in Greece, and Fenerbahçe in Turkey.


With the NBA’s international popularity continuing to rise and top global markets showing increased interest in basketball investment, the proposed European league could serve as the league’s most ambitious expansion project to date. If realized, it would mark a transformative chapter in the NBA’s global strategy under Silver’s leadership.