By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
Jordi Bertomeu voiced concern over the NBA’s proposed entry into European basketball, arguing that the terms being discussed would undermine the independence of clubs and put the sport’s traditions at risk.
Speaking on RAC1’s Tu diràs, Bertomeu, who served as Euroleague Basketball CEO from 2000 to 2022, contrasted the current proposal with his own dealings with the American league.
“The conversations I had with the NBA — because we had good relations and had done many things together — were about cooperation,” he said. “In the terms in which it has been presented, it is worrying. From the terms we are seeing, it is difficult to see anything positive coming out of it for European basketball.”
His central objection concerned control of the competition. Bertomeu recalled that EuroLeague was established to allow clubs to determine their own future after breaking away from FIBA.
“For 26 years, the clubs have decided their own future. There have been successes and mistakes, including ours, those of us running it, but the clubs have been the owners and the ones deciding how their competition operates.”
In Bertomeu’s view, the NBA proposal would reverse that independence and return clubs to a position of answering to an outside authority.
“The NBA’s proposal clearly puts an end to that and takes us back to the beginning, back to square one. Now it is called the NBA; before, it was called FIBA. But ultimately, the clubs will once again do what somebody else tells them to do. I find that worrying, and I think it represents a very significant step backwards.”
Bertomeu stressed that expansion into new markets was not itself a concern, recalling London’s participation when EuroLeague began. However, he warned against doing so at the expense of established clubs.
“The NBA did not invent taking European competition to those places, and that is a good thing in itself. What concerns me is if it happens at the expense of Olympiacos, the Belgrade teams, Zalgiris, Maccabi — clubs that have built European basketball.”
He also challenged the financial terms, citing figures suggesting that clubs would have to pay considerably more to participate than they would receive under the proposed deal.
“For Barca, Olympiacos or Madrid to have to pay to play in something they themselves have built does not seem logical or reasonable to me. And what I find absolutely unacceptable is that, for allowing this to happen, they would receive an amount that is one-tenth of what they would subsequently have to pay.”
Beyond governance and finances, Bertomeu highlighted a fundamental difference in sporting culture.
“Here, we play sport and try to do business to sustain that sport. There, it is a business that uses sport as an instrument to do business. That is a radically different culture. I’m not going to say which is better or worse, but our teams, our clubs and our fans are clearly accustomed to competitive tension, not business tension.”
The former executive also expressed doubts about the proposed timetable, while acknowledging that he had helped establish EuroLeague in just three months.
“The level of sophistication EuroLeague has today, which it did not have in 2000, probably makes a 2027 start unfeasible,” he said. “I think the 2027 date is also being used to maintain pressure on investors.”
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