By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
NBA commisioner, Adam Silver, spoke about several major topics ahead of All-Star Weekend, including the league’s stance on prediction markets, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s involvement in one, and the ongoing plans for a future NBA-backed European league.
Silver explained that the NBA currently views prediction markets in essentially the same way as traditional sportsbooks.
“We currently are looking at prediction markets essentially in the same way that we’re looking at sports betting markets or sports betting companies. We have a rule that was collectively bargained with the Players Association that players can make, I will call them, de minimis investments in sports betting companies, and we’re applying the same rule to prediction markets.
That means their investment cannot amount to over 1 percent. In the case of Giannis, from what I understand, it’s a minuscule investment, much smaller than 1 percent. So that does not violate the rules that have been collectively bargained with the Players Association.”
Turning to the long-discussed NBA Europe project, Silver said talks with the EuroLeague have recently become more constructive.
“I’m encouraged by some constructive discussions we’re having with the EuroLeague now. There was recently a new CEO, Chus Bueno, who replaced the prior CEO at the EuroLeague, someone who is a longtime colleague at the NBA. So I’m hopeful that will help us advance in more of an integrated system in Europe of approaching this.”
Silver believes a 2027–28 launch remains realistic, though the early version of the league may evolve significantly over time.
“Do I think it’s doable for ’27-28? Yes. How we launch the league might not look how it will several years later. One of the things we’re focused on is building a new arena infrastructure in Europe, as well, which is badly needed.”
Silver emphasized the league is being built with patience rather than short-term expectations.
“People who are looking for a short return should probably look elsewhere. This is something that we plan to build over decades.”
He pointed to Europe’s strong basketball foundation and the NBA’s global reach as key advantages.
“European basketball is tremendously popular. Roughly 15 percent of the players in the NBA are European. Some of our very best players, some of the All-Stars that we’re going to see today and tomorrow.”
The commissioner added that historic clubs and the NBA’s global audience could help drive engagement.
“In terms of the existing fan bases, in some cases you have some of the historic European soccer clubs, which have hundreds of millions of followers and where somebody is interested in — I’ll use Real Madrid as an example, you may have a Real Madrid football fan and they also have a great basketball organization, and a relaunch league may bring a lot of those historic fans with them. As you said, also, the NBA has a social media community of roughly two billion people globally. Our expectation is we’re going to have a European league, yes, located throughout Europe, but also with a global following.”
Finally, Silver described recent discussions with Barcelona as productive.
“I thought it was a very constructive meeting.”