By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum revisited confirmed plans to launch a new, top-tier league in Europe, backed by the league based in North America and FIBA.
Widely labeled as NBA Europe, though officials emphasize this is just a working title, the league is scheduled to begin play in October 2027. The project is poised to alter the continental picture, aiming to maximize commercial potential in Europe.
Speaking at Sportico’s Invest New York conference on Tuesday, 57-year-old Tatum resurfaced his view on structural issues and how the NBA thinks it will do better than Euroleague Basketball. According to the experienced executive, the new league’s economic foundation is designed to offer European teams the financial predictability they want.
“The existing teams in the ecosystem, quite frankly, are tired of investing tens of millions of dollars a year without showing any appreciation in the values of their franchises,” he mentioned during the panel. “They’re looking for a new economic partner.”
With franchise entry fees expected to command up to $1 billion, NBA Europe has already generated interest from private equity and wealth funds.
Unified ecosystem
A primary objective for the NBA and FIBA is to bring clarity to what Tatum described as a ‘confusing’ and disconnected web of tournaments.
“When you look at the European basketball league system, it’s very confusing. If you’re a fan, it’s very hard to follow,” stressed Tatum.
“You have the EuroLeague, which is the incumbent, but you also have the Basketball Champions League, you have the EuroCup, you have domestic leagues, and none of them are actually connected to each other,” he added. “In global football, of course, you have your domestic leagues, but then the winners of those domestic leagues go on and play in Europe, and play in the Champions League. We’re trying to replicate and create that same kind of system within Europe.”
“We’ll establish our top-tier league, the Basketball Champions League, which is FIBA’s league, will become the second-tier league. We’re going to have 12 permanent franchises, in the biggest markets,” he confirmed. “And then four open slots, where every professional basketball team can qualify into the top.”
Projecting a format based in major European metropolitan markets and additional opportunities linked directly to the domestic leagues across the Old Continent, Tatum highlighted balancing commercial stability with the traditional spirit of continental sports culture. “In European sports, they want all clubs to be able to dream,” he pointed out.
Untapped markets
In expanding the sport’s footprint into lucrative markets, Tatum specifically pointed to Paris and the United Kingdom.
“If you think about the EuroLeague, they don’t have any presence in the UK today. They don’t have a permanent team in Paris today,” he shared. “They’re talking about expansion, but they’re missing in some of those biggest markets today. And we’re going to go in and fill in those markets.”
Mark Tatum, Deputy Commissioner and COO of the @NBA, breaks down how NBA Europe will address the confusing landscape of European basketball at Invest New York: https://t.co/ydDzR3vkX8
— Sportico (@Sportico) November 10, 2026
The expansion strategy ties directly into a push for upgraded venues.
“Our launch of this league will spur incredible investment in infrastructure projects,” noted Tatum. “Let’s say there’s 30 to 40 home nights of basketball. You’ve got 320 other days to fill it up with music and concerts and conferences and other types of events.”
The NBA’s second-highest executive also talked about fan environments across Europe.
“In some of those games, you wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing your family,” he said. “We want to replicate the NBA experience over there while maintaining the culture and the sporting culture and the passion that they have.”
Fragmentation in Europe, domestic expansion
The NBA has been exploring collaborating directly with Euroleague management. However, club owners voted to reject the NBA’s proposal. In response, they are currently moving forward with a major expansion.
The plan is to increase participating EuroLeague teams to 24 by granting permanent licenses to six new franchises, Paris, Dubai, Valencia, Maxima Roma, Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv, and PAOK. Furthermore, Partizan Mozzart Bet, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, Virtus Costa Bologna, and Napoli are expected to receive three-year licenses, cementing their positions as targets for future growth.
This would confirm a split between EuroLeague and the upcoming NBA-FIBA project, similar to a landmark schism with two competing top-tier continental leagues running simultaneously during the 2000–01 season, the EuroLeague and SuproLeague.
The NBA remains focused on the domestic front as well. Tatum added that a final decision regarding North American expansion with the potential addition of new franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle is hoped for by the end of the calendar year.
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