Mark Tatum reportedly had contacts in Denmark with top European football clubs for NBA Europe

By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net

Mark Tatum, deputy commissioner for the NBA, was a guest on Tuesday at the European Football Clubs’ annual conference, hosted by EFC and Paris Saint-Germain soccer president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

According to “The Athletic”, Tatum and George Aivazoglou, NBA senior vice president and managing director in Europe and the Middle East, “were spotted in private discussions with leaders from PSG, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and AC Milan — all soccer giants that have expressed interest in joining NBA Europe”.

With the bid process for the NBA Europe 12 founding franchises being finalized and announcements expected soon, it remains to be seen which of those football clubs may end up in the new league.

PSG and AC Milan don’t have a basketball section, and for a long time they have been considered among the NBA’s priorities for the new league.

On the other hand, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich have signed new ten-year deals with the EuroLeague; they are shareholders of the competition, and they are in the process of transforming their basketball sections into EuroLeague franchises.

Meanwhile, the NBA has presented the EuroLeague with a proposal for a form of collaboration for a joint league in Europe, with both sides declining to comment on the details of the talks.