By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
In the traditional end-of-year video conference, FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis discussed everything related to the International Basketball Federation and, of course, the NBA Europe project.
He insisted there are no doubts about it happening and even shared a realistic timeline for when the competition could begin.
“We need, of course, approvals by the respective two boards of the NBA and the FIBA Central Board – I
do believe that October 2027 is a realistic target. And that it is also an ideal way of closing the curtain in Doha with tremendous and very confidence about the FIBA Basketball World Cup and moving into a new project that shapes the European Club basketball landscape positively,” Zagklis said.
So, how will the next Basketball Champions League season look, given that NBA Europe is expected to launch in October 2027? Will it serve as a pathway to the new competition?
“I think the BCL has shown what it can do — a very, very high level of quality in delivering events. Things were going very well for the BCL, and much better every year. Now, if that means it qualifies, as well, to a higher level, that is, I guess, positive news for the BCL and the normal evolution of things.”
He insisted that the NBA and FIBA are working together and are in a partnership regarding a new competition.
” I would not call this an NBA competition. Because, as we have said, FIBA would be part of this. So if you want to call it an NBA-FIBA competition, then I would be able to agree. We need to make it clear that, as it was announced, this would be, subject to the elements that I mentioned earlier, a partnership. It would not be an NBA competition; it will be a competition that will be operated, to a large extent, by specialists, of course, that come from the NBA, but I want to underline that FIBA’s role is not only to give its blessing to competitions. FIBA’s role is to operate, and it has been operating the top competition since the ’50s. For 40 years on its own, and over the last years in competition. “
Zagklis also touched on a conversation with EuroLeague, mentioning also a “lost opportunity” in the Spring of 2024 for all to work together: “I prefer to look naive and try until the end for a solution, because that’s the role of FIBA, to bring everyone together, and that’s written on the wall outside. Making our sport one community. And therefore, it is our job to continue trying that. Even if I know that in the history books, we will have one day to analyze what happened in spring 2024. Because that’s where we had the big opportunity and we missed it. And then we started diverging, but still, we tried to bring everyone together.”
“Already fragmented”
Italian, Lithuanian, and Greek politicians raised concerns about NBA Europe, which, according to Andreas Zagklis, are not justified.
” I urge everyone to look at the facts, and the facts are pretty clear that what is being designed is much more compatible with the European sports model and with the FIBA criteria than what we’ve had over the last years, many years. And that is what is at the heart of what is happening right now. There is no doubt,” Zagklis said, “FIBA is not obsessed with control, but with structure and a clear pathway. We need to communicate and keep everyone informed, working toward a model that aligns with European basketball.”
FIBA Secretary General commented on the risks of further dividing European basketball with two rival leagues, the NBA Europe and EuroLeague operating at the same time: “I think we are already fragmented, so I do not see a risk of fragmentation. And the fact that we didn’t manage to find an agreement approximately 10 years ago, when the BCL was created, speaks to the same. So, I’m not worried about all this “we do not need one more competition parlance”, because we do need an event that will allow us to bring everything under the same roof. ”
“Everyone together”
He emphasized that FIBA wants to keep things simple.
FIBA has been fighting for a very simple structure of the competitions. One, two, or three levels. And we were sued for that. We were sued for that before the courts in Munich, and we were sued for that in Brussels. And we were sued by our top European clubs, and by ECA, saying “No, you cannot defend your monopoly”. Meaning that fragmentation is good, because this is business. So FIBA complied, although we won the case in Munich. FIBA complied, and FIBA said Very good.”
“The leagues came to us and said, ‘We want to run the BCL with you. Very good. And we compete. And that is what Brussels is telling us: Basketball is business, you should compete in an open market. And that’s what ECA and EuroLeague have been fighting for. Therefore, I find it peculiar now that we should animate our fans and our politicians, against what we have accepted as the norm of basketball, which is competition, because a bigger business may come in and may have bigger financial strength,” he continued.
“We were the incumbent for 40 years, 42 years. And disruption happened, and we know what happened after that; you don’t want me to tell you. So, if we accept, and the basketball community and family have accepted that disruption is something that can happen, because this is business, and FIBA’s monopoly should not be protected, I don’t understand why suddenly we should protect the monopoly of someone else. That said, it is our job to bring everyone together. And I will continue trying that.”
While confirming a plan for the players of the new league to regularly represent respective national teams in FIBA windows, Zagklis does not expect such a case for NBA players, except for offseason windows.
“We do not expect a change in the way FIBA itself planned the Qualifiers. It was planned since the beginning that in the in-season windows we would play with everyone who is licensed with a FIBA club around the world, and this was a decision of the Congress of FIBA. All national federations agreed to that and said, This is the way we will be playing, and of course, you know that in the summer windows – meaning the July and August windows – we have all players available, including players who participate in the NBA,” he said.
Buyout negotiations, naturalized players
Zagklis also projected a new approach to team compensation for young prospects.
“The buyout is received only by the last team,” he mentioned. “Yes, of course, when we meet with our top clubs, they complain about this. They say, “If the buyout had no limit, we would negotiate whatever we wanted with our players; that limit affects us”. But I get an equal amount of complaints from other FIBA clubs, against the top FIBA clubs, that they get the players for almost nothing. And that sometimes the players, at the age of 16, 17, are taken in a very abrupt way from a smaller club to go to a bigger club or to a club connected to an agent, unfortunately. So this last club is the one that takes the buyout from the NBA. Regardless of whether this is a big buyout or a small buyout.”
Asked about the recent change in regulations for naturalized players, specifically adjusting passport eligibility from 16 to 18, Zagklis confirmed older cases will not be considered retroactively.
“As of last Friday, it applies to new applications for new players that we have not determined the national status. We need to be clear on that,” he stressed.