By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
The future of European basketball has rarely been more uncertain—or more promising. As the NBA continues exploring its own project on the continent, the EuroLeague is pushing ahead with a long-term vision built around permanent franchises, new investment and commercial growth.
Speaking to StreamTime Sports, EuroLeague Basketball CEO Chus Bueno laid out his roadmap for the competition’s next chapter, explaining that expansion is not simply about adding more teams, but about creating a stronger and more sustainable business.
He also addressed the NBA’s plans in Europe, revealing why he still believes cooperation would be a better outcome than direct competition between two rival leagues.
According to Bueno, the franchise model is designed to provide long-term stability while opening the door to new strategic markets and investors.
“When we scale our business, we want to do more, but also do it better. Not just scale for the sake of scaling, but scale the right way. When we think about franchises, maybe it makes sense to go to London, to Rome, to Berlin. Maybe it makes sense to rescue some big basketball IPs. Maybe they want to become franchises, so we offer them that opportunity. They’re going to have investors behind them because they’ll see certainty, a long-term project, and the chance to play against the best teams in Europe.”
While many view the NBA’s European ambitions as a direct threat, Bueno believes the EuroLeague’s response should be openness rather than fear.
“Before I came here, some EuroLeague owners were reluctant to anything coming from the NBA. I don’t think that’s the right approach. If the NBA is coming, they’re raising billions of dollars, and they’re as good an operator as they are, why should we be afraid? Instead, we should explore the opportunity. If our objective is to increase our revenues by 100%, maybe the best way is together with the NBA. Maybe not. But we should at least explore it.”
According to Bueno, the NBA’s arrival in Europe now appears inevitable. The challenge, he says, is finding a way to avoid creating two competing ecosystems.
“They’re coming. I know they’re in the process. They’re still working on cities, sponsors and other elements, but they’re coming. Let’s be open and see how we can maximize the opportunity. If there are two leagues, then yes, we’ll have to compete. That’s fine. But competition will fragment the market. If we can avoid that fragmentation and friction, I think it’s my responsibility—as someone representing the interests of club owners, partners, sponsors and broadcasters—to at least try. At the end of the day, we have to make it work.”
Looking back, Bueno believes the NBA and the EuroLeague could have taken a different path from the outset. Rather than building separate competitions, he argues the NBA could have partnered with the EuroLeague from the beginning.
“I wish I had been here three years earlier. I think the right approach would have been for the NBA to partner with the EuroLeague. Because we already have the biggest IPs, the biggest clubs, the biggest fan bases and the biggest cities. You already have the foundation. Then you go to investors with certainty, a proven track record and the best clubs in Europe. For me, that would have been the best path.”
He also questioned the business logic behind starting a new league without first securing clubs and established markets.
“To me, it carries much more risk. There’s more uncertainty. They don’t have the cities yet. They don’t have the fan bases in many of those cities. I think there’s significant execution risk and reputational risk. That’s not the path I would choose. I believe both sides know that working together would be better than competing.”
Bueno then outlined what he believes an NBA-EuroLeague partnership could look like in practice.
“For me, it would be easier if we have the 13 teams, and then the five or six markets that they’re talking about. Then we have these 13 plus these five or six markets. I think that having all these teams together and going to the market to find somebody else would be better. The money that will be raised could compensate the people that have spent 26 years building this business, and we could also allocate some money for working capital and rebranding the partnership. I think that would be the normal way to do it in a partnership.”
Beyond expansion and league structure, Bueno believes European basketball’s greatest challenge is commercial rather than sporting.
“Football dominates the European sports media market. It accounts for about 92% of all sports media revenues. Basketball is below 2%. But if basketball has roughly 10% of football’s fan base, why aren’t we generating something closer to 10% of football’s media value? The European sports media market is worth around 125 billion dollars. Why shouldn’t basketball generate 2.5 billion instead of just a few hundred million? That’s the real question.”
He identifies fragmentation and the lack of a direct relationship with fans as the biggest obstacles to unlocking that potential.
“One of the reasons is fragmentation. We’re too divided. The other major issue is our direct-to-consumer strategy. Historically, we’ve been weak in that area.”
To tackle those issues, the EuroLeague is preparing to launch a new direct-to-consumer platform aimed at building a closer relationship with its fans.
“We’re launching our own digital direct-to-consumer platform. We want to offer better experiences, greater interaction and create a single place where fans can access everything—content, merchandising, ticketing and much more. That’s how we’ll unlock much more of basketball’s potential.”
Bueno also welcomed Real Madrid and Fenerbahce’s decision to commit to the EuroLeague’s long-term project, describing it as another sign that clubs increasingly believe in the league’s vision.
“I’m very happy. I think the clubs, the boards, the general managers and the owners are becoming more confident in the plan. It was extremely important to achieve alignment because the group was a little divided before. Now everyone has a clear idea of what we want to do, where we want to be in three years and what financial targets we’re aiming for. We’re adding more assets, entering new markets and expanding into new territories, so people feel we finally have a clear plan. Of course, Real Madrid and Fenerbahce joining is a strong signal. And if the NBA comes, let’s maximize that opportunity—but let’s do it all together.”
Despite his optimism, Bueno admits a partnership with the NBA remains a work in progress and believes both sides will have to adapt to make it happen.
“They have their model, and we have ours. To make those models fit together, both sides will have to make changes. The goal is to find a way where we both win. Realistically, we’re not there yet. We need to sit down more often, keep talking, be more generous in our approach and remain flexible.”
Even with the NBA’s plans moving forward, Bueno says investor confidence in the EuroLeague has only grown throughout the process.
“I’m learning throughout this process. When I joined, there was a lot of concern about the NBA coming and how people and our partners would react. Instead, confidence in the EuroLeague has grown. We have many investors interested in buying franchises, and I always ask them whether they’re afraid of the NBA. They tell me they’re happy with the EuroLeague. They love the product, they believe in the plan and they know exactly what they’re investing in. I’m impressed by the strength of the EuroLeague brand. At the end of the day, everything comes down to the clubs, but the market doesn’t see the NBA as a major threat. I would never underestimate that the NBA is coming, but the feedback we’ve received has given us confidence.“
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