By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
After three days of meetings, on Monday and Tuesday in Barcelona between the EuroLeague shareholders, and one in Geneva on Wednesday with the EuroLeague, FIBA, and the NBA, not much new was revealed compared to what was already said publicly about the NBA Europe project.
However, two very crucial data are confirmed again.
Per Eurohoops sources, as the managing director of NBA Europe and the Middle East, George Aivazoglou, said in his recent interviews, it was repeated to EuroLeague clubs that the expected date for the new league to launch is the start of the 2027-28 season, and that it would include 16 teams, with 12 of them having long-term contracts and four more earning the right to play via qualification on an annual basis.
While this is not a surprise, it practically confirms that not all teams currently competing in the EuroLeague will have a guaranteed spot in the new league, and not all the current shareholders/clubs will enjoy the same status they have so far in the EuroLeague, if they move to the new ecosystem. Of course, they are all welcomed and can be part of the new league either via qualification or with a permanent spot.
That’s why the future beyond the 2026-27 season remains a question mark even at this point, and the EuroLeague intends to expand to 24 clubs, if possible, next season.
Meanwhile, the NBA will meet with potential partners and investors next week in London, as the project is moving full speed ahead, and a clash with the EuroLeague seems to be on the horizon, with Real Madrid and Barcelona playing a key role.
What’s certain after the talks of the last three days is that the landscape is changing, and in some cases, this change may come faster than 2027.