By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
NBC has emerged as a primary projected partner for the proposed European league currently being developed through a collaboration between the NBA and FIBA. Sam Flood, executive producer and president of production for NBC Sports, recently affirmed the network’s enthusiastic stance on the project during an interview with the Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.
Speaking with journalist Toni Canyameras at the NBA All-Star Weekend 2026 in Los Angeles, Flood emphasized his confidence in the league’s leadership. “We are big believers in the NBA, and anything the NBA touches turns to gold or platinum,” he stated. “Obviously, we would be interested in helping in any way we can to grow the game.”
This interest comes as the NBA and NBC navigate the inaugural year of a transformative 11-year media rights agreement. Expanding this partnership to include NBA Europe is viewed as a natural progression of their current link. Flood reflected on the sport’s rapid evolution, referring to NBC’s previous tenure with the league.
“The NBA is a very global sport. When we were part of it in 1991, it really was a United States sport, and from 1991 to 2002, the international reach of the game changed dramatically. And there is a lot of potential and a big future in turning it into a global game. Never on the scale of soccer, but it can certainly be on soccer’s heels,” he shared.
Although the project is gaining momentum, Flood cautioned that specific broadcasting discussions remain in the preliminary stages. Concrete details regarding new franchises and the projected 2027-28 season start date are expected to materialize in the coming months.
“It is still too early for that conversation until there is a concrete plan,” Flood noted, while reiterating NBC’s commitment: “We want to help the NBA in any way we can.”