By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Glenn Micallef, the European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, wants top organizations to settle their differences.
With the NBA planning an expansion to Europe from the top of the 2026–27 schedule, looking to establish a new continental league with the support of FIBA, the 37-year-old Maltese official talked to French outlet L’Equipe on Wednesday, urging a truce between Euroleague Basketball and FIBA. “It is time that the basketball community united,” he said.
Micallef sees a rare chance to bring peace to a sport where clubs, players, and fans have long been caught in the middle. Still, he wants to make sure outside ambitions actually benefit the continent.
“I think the wider question is whether NBA Europe will make European basketball stronger,” he explained. “I think European basketball is already very attractive and very strong. It has the potential to be even stronger.”
Micallef views NBA’s interest as proof of the quality of the game in the Old Continent.
“In a way, the interest from NBA Europe confirms the strengths of European basketball,” he noted. “The reflection on the need for investment in sports in Europe. Investment which is very much needed, and which is welcomed.”
That welcome comes with conditions. Earlier this year, answering questions from the European Parliament, Micallef pushed back against closed-league formats. He argued that new competitions must respect the European Sport Model. He also reminded organizers that any venture operating on the continent must follow European Union tax rules, keeping money inside the local market rather than sending revenue streams overseas.
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