By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
NBA Europe could become an important subject in the next round of collective bargaining between the league and its players.
New NBPA executive director David Kelly has made it clear that the union wants NBA players to benefit financially from the project, which is expected to begin operating in the fall of 2027.
In an interview with Front Office Sports, Kelly argued that the planned European competition will trade heavily on the NBA brand and the global status established by generations of players.
“It’s clearly being built on the backs of current NBA players, and prior NBA players, on the whole cachet that they brought to this league,” Kelly said. “And then to start a rival league that they do not participate in, participate in the economics of, we have a very serious problem with that.”
The current collective bargaining agreement does not require the NBA to allocate any NBA Europe income to its players. Nevertheless, Kelly considers the project another source of basketball-related revenue and intends to seek a share for union members when the next agreement is negotiated.
He stopped short of demanding the 51% split that applies to the NBA’s existing revenue, instead suggesting that the two sides should agree on a reasonable percentage in good faith.
Formal negotiations with the league and commissioner Adam Silver have not begun. The present CBA expires on June 30, 2030, but an opt-out clause could bring it to an end after the 2028/29 season if activated in October 2028.
For now, Kelly described the discussions as informal, while emphasizing that the union will take a firm position once negotiations begin.
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