By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
A few days ago, FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa said in his official Eurobasket press conference that he was “hearing” 2027 as a potential date for the tipoff of NBA Europe.
The ongoing drama in Great Britain, however, might have given not just some more hints about the date, but also a semi-confirmation.
To be exact, the newly licensed GBBL sent the following statement to the British outlet “Yorkshire Post,” in which they confirmed that the new British League will delay its tip-off until 2027, “coinciding with the anticipated first season of NBA Europe.”
The full statement is the following: “GBB League Ltd. (GBBL) will launch the first season of its new British basketball league in September 2027, coinciding with the anticipated first season of NBA Europe, and to provide sufficient time to work with the British Basketball Federation (BBF), the Home Country Associations and the British basketball community to prepare for the launch of a new elite academy for young players who will represent the future of the Great Britain National Team. Two NBA Europe teams – based in London and Manchester – are expected to compete in GBBL’s new league.”
Led by Marshall Glickman, the former acting CEO of Euroleague Basketball and former president of the Portland Trail Blazers, the GBBL has already created controversy, as the clubs are already operating their own league, the SBL, following the 777 fiasco that nearly destroyed the professional basketball landscape in Britain.
The SBL, which already has one season under its belt, has also taken legal action against the British federation for giving a license to GBBL, prompting FIBA to create a special task force for the issue.
Still, while it was already known that the NBA was aiming for the London and Manchester markets, for the first time, there’s a clear reference to them in the NBA Europe project, and also at least a tentative tip-off date.
Initially, it was expected that NBA Europe would tip off in the 2026-27 season, taking advantage of the fact that the joint venture between EuroLeague and IMG expires in the summer of 2026 and there are still EuroLeague teams that have not signed the offered new ten-year deals, which would bind them for the next decade.