By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The managing director of NBA Europe and the Middle East, George Aivazoglou, revisited projections for the launch of a new European league, widely labeled as NBA Europe.
The Greek executive reiterated the majority of previous public calculations, including a recent interview with The New York Times, but also talked with L’Equipe about how Serbian clubs can enter NBA Europe.
“One of the things that I love about the way this concept is coming together is that technically, there’s no market left out. If you have a good team that plays well, you earn your spot. I would say some markets are left out today because of the ecosystem,” he told Yann Ohnona, responding to a question about certain European markets being left out of initial plans.
“If some aren’t included at the start, it’s because we’ll begin with 16 teams. But I can easily see that number growing, allowing others to join later,” he added on the current status of teams from Serbia, while also confirming 16 participants as the starting point for the new league.
A key part of the NBA Europe plans, Aivazoglou also updated on the further interest in the league.
“The response has been incredible,” he said, “Teams, investors, media, and political leaders understand the power of sport as a unifying force in times of division and conflict, and its positive economic impact for a city or a country. They see this as both a European and local opportunity.”
“The momentum is huge,” continued the 44-year-old executive, “We’re at a crucial turning point.”
While previewing 16 teams for the start in 2027, he also went into the competition format.
“The simple answer is a round-robin format where everyone plays each other, followed by playoffs and finals, likely under European rules, since teams will continue to play in their national leagues,” he shared the most likely option.
Aivazoglou also commented on progress in the relationship with Euroleague Basketball.
“We recently met in May. Those were productive conversations. He [Paulius Motiejunas, Euroleague Basketball CEO] was in Abu Dhabi during the NBA Preseason games, and we talked. We’ll meet again next week in Geneva,” he mentioned, “We’re aligned on values and have reached the same diagnosis regarding the problems of European basketball, what has prevented their resolution, and the opportunities ahead.”