By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
With the Basketball Champions League reaching a milestone in Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, Chief Executive Officer Patrick Comninos addressed the media in Badalona ahead of the championship clash between AEK and Rytas. Reflecting on a decade of growth, he provided critical insights into the future of European basketball, most notably regarding the potential integration with the NBA.
“Over the course of these years, a lot of discussions have been held. And what is public knowledge is that a structure down the road would see a top-tier competition operated by the NBA, in a partnership with FIBA. And right below, in a second tier, would be the Basketball Champions League, which would, of course, represent what we acknowledge as the open element of this new two-tier ecosystem,” Comninos stated during Friday’s roundtable.
He elaborated on this structural shift, confirming that the path to the top would remain accessible through merit. “The open pathway is twofold. One is via the Basketball Champions League, and the other is via a Qualification Tournament at the end of the season that would also allow teams that would perform at the highest level in their domestic competitions to have this opportunity to advance,” he said.
Central to the BCL’s identity is the preservation of domestic competition, a principle he reinforced when discussing the league’s partnership with the NBA. “For us, this is a welcoming approach, because in our partnership with the NBA, we have been able to have fruitful discussions to highlight what is very important for us, and we have remained very consistent in what is very important for our environment. Again. It’s no surprise when I say, protect the domestic leagues, protect the national teams, play with a unified FIBA set of rules, having access to the competition,” he mentioned.
Comninos further emphasized this synergy by noting, “I’m also a firm believer that European competitions should not antagonize domestic leagues. We should be working hand-in-hand. Domestic leagues should be the priority for the hundreds of clubs that develop basketball in Europe.”
“It has been made very clear in our communication with the Euroleague that all the 13 licensed teams have a place in this new ecosystem,” he later clarified, responding to a question about the current EuroLeague clubs.
The CEO also addressed the league’s commitment to sporting merit, an area where he believes the BCL has set a standard. “From the outset, we took tremendous pride in the principle that sport results do matter. This is something that we announced when we started, ten years ago. In an ecosystem that does not necessarily embrace this as a priority, we have been very consistent. European competition should be a reward for those who perform well at the domestic league, and that reward should not put a burden on what they hope to achieve in a domestic season,” he said.
Comninos also opened up on the league’s tenth anniversary and the Final Four host city, noting that “the decision of the BCL Board has been vindicated” by the passion seen in Badalona. He confirmed there would be no format changes for the 2026-27 season, as “basketball is already confusing enough for your average fan,” and expressed pride in the journey thus far: “We take a lot of pride for the steps the BCL has taken over the last ten years, and we wanted to celebrate and honor this achievement, and some of the key participants.”