By Javier Molero/ jmolero@eurohoops.net
The future of European basketball seems to be taking shape. After months of debate and rumors, Chus Bueno, the new CEO of the EuroLeague, has been fitting together the pieces of a scenario that aims to be ideal for all parties involved.
The Spaniard spoke at the Sports Summit 2026 held in Madrid, where he emphasized the direction European basketball is heading, its sporting and economic needs, and also took the opportunity to offer some hints about what’s to come.
“It’s the question I get every day,” Chus said with a laugh. “My relationship with them is good; I’ve been with them for 12 years, I’ve grown with them, and I have a bit of NBA in my DNA,” he continued. “I came into the league when… look, let me give you a practical example,” the EuroLeague CEO said.
“I arrived at the EuroLeague when there are two houses that are finished, one is finished and the other is almost finished, and now we have to decide which house fits best, and both houses are already built,” Bueno explained. “The processes are very advanced with the NBA, and now trying to bring us together on a single project is a bit more complicated,” he continued.
“I speak with them every week; I have a personal as well as a professional relationship. We’re both saying the same thing publicly. Adam Silver has said it too: we all know that fragmentation destroys value and creates friction. If we can avoid it… we know that the most important thing would be to avoid it,” Chus explained. “They have their plan, we have ours, and they have to understand that as well,” he added.
“The easiest thing would be to take the European clubs that have history and a fanbase and see how the money and the very efficient way of operating, which is the NBA, and the people in Europe who have good plans, can accelerate that growth by working together,” he said at the Sports Summit held in Madrid.
“If this approach can be achieved soon… we have to work hard. We’ll see if it happens, and if not, each of us has our own plan,” the Euroleague CEO concluded.
Make