By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Bostjan Nachbar sat down with Eurohoops, presenting projects and plans of the Euroleague Players Association.
The managing director of ELPA also shared his opinion on the future of European basketball.
“I spoke to many players on this topic. What they want is clear: a high-level platform that allows them to compete against other best players,” Nachbar focused on the possibility of a new continental league in Europe, based on the plans announced by FIBA and the NBA, “Over the last 25 years EuroLeague provided that platform and players want this league to continue to grow. They don’t want a fragmented European basketball scene. If the growth means collaboration with another competitive league, players will support it, mindful that what ELPA achieved in terms of players’ rights in the last six or seven years in EuroLeague will for them be the starting point of any future discussions.”
“It is very difficult to say,” he added on potential changes, “Whether EuroLeague will remain a dominant league is mostly up to the shareholder clubs. They need to find common sense, first with each other, then externally, and decide in which direction they want this league to go. Everyone is waiting for that, including the players. But I do think it is possible that if EuroLeague remains strong and NBA Europe project becomes a reality, we could see a ‘EuroLeague 2.0’, merged with NBA Europe. As the time goes on, that could actually become the only option for both organizations.”
“I cannot imagine a scenario where five continental leagues would be sustainable and beneficial for this sport, the fans, or for the players, for that matter,” he stressed.
The 44-year-old former player went into his ideal situation.
“Frequent, direct, open, and honest discussions between all main stakeholders, which would lead to an expanded and strong European league. Such a league should encompass detailed and forward-thinking commercial plan, and include all European basketball cities where top-level clubs and fanbases have been home for many decades,” he told Eurohoops.
“There can be a discussion about the things that EuroLeague has not achieved off the court, but what it achieved on the court and in the arenas is remarkable,” he pointed out, “This is the most competitive and passionate basketball league in the world all season long. And this not only comes from me, but also from many other players who played both in the NBA and EuroLeague. This is a fact, and any new basketball landscape cannot afford to break apart the passion and fanbases that took decades to build. It is the essence of what makes top-level European club basketball so special today.”
“I think it should be clear that players are one of the most important stakeholders when it comes to making decisions about the future of European club basketball. EuroLeague has its collective player representation counterpart in ELPA, and I am happy we can push players’ rights and ideas through that avenue. But I noticed that in some decision-makers’ eyes, players’ voice complicates things, so they prefer not to engage in these discussions,” he talked about player participation in ongoing talks, “I would say to those people to look at the best sports leagues in the world. They all have a strong collective players’ representation, and that is not a coincidence. Players bring a very specific perspective and help build leagues the right way.”
“One way or the other, the players will have to be included on a broader scale of these conversations also in Europe, especially if the NBA Europe project will continue,” he added, “I will give you an example: NBA commissioner Adam Silver publicly mentioned that NBA is not interested in operating a league in Europe that has no system of (financial) control, which means it would have to be collectively bargained. For that to happen, the players would need to be collectively represented on an international scale, which is not an easy task. To date, ELPA is the only players’ association that managed to achieve a league-wide collective agreement on a pan-European scale, other sports included.”
“It has been very busy”
In the 2024-25 season, his recap pointed to improvements across the board.
“This season again superseded the previous one as the most intense season on the court. But off the court it has been very busy as well,” Boki told Eurohoops, “It started with the new negotiated framework agreement, which was signed last summer and includes a new set of improved rights and conditions for players. Shortly after, at the ELPA General Assembly, players decided on new Players’ Board members. While part of our team was traveling to visit the players in person during the early stages of the season, we further developed our Second Career Program, which became a big success with even more players enrolling into the program. In the beginning of this calendar year, we hosted World Players’ Association Summit in Mataro (Spain), which featured representatives from NBPA, NFLPA, MLBPA, FIFPRO, PTPA, MLSPA, and EU Athletes amongst others. We engaged in periodic conversations with the league management and coaches’ & referees’ unions on how to improve the competition. We also keep a close watch on the updated EuroLeague’s Financial Fair Play Regulations, which gradually go into effect starting next season. But the main work is done behind the scenes, with many hours of conversations with players who have issues that need to be solved either by our legal or medical experts. Those conversations, of course, remain confidential.”
The Slovenian former player fell shy of sharing the ELPA position on the new FFP rules and attached reactions from agents.
“I prefer not to include this question in this interview, because I would like the focus to be on the NBA/EuroLeague/FIBA topic. I will be very happy to discuss the FFP rules at a later time with a lot more detail,” he projected an answer to a future interview.
“Third-place game has no value”
Moving to the Final Four of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague in Abu Dhabi, he projected success, but also wished for the end of third-place games.
“I expect it to be an excellent event,” he said, “Some people have doubts because the Final Four will be played in the UAE, but we need to realize that the world is changing and becoming smaller. Many other sports and competitions already have a heavy presence in the Middle East, including the NBA, F1, UFC, tennis, golf, and of course, football.”
“It could be debated that EuroLeague’s introduction to the region would probably be better suited with some regular season games instead of the Final Four. That might actually change as well with the possible addition of Dubai BC, which excites many players,” he mentioned.
“However, regarding the Final Four games, I am sure we will see two thrilling semi-final battles on Friday and one on Sunday. The third-place game has no value for players and should be scrapped a long time ago,” he added, “At ELPA, we insist that this is the last time it should be played.”
“We will host an event together with our commercial partners, Winners Alliance,” he also talked about ELPA Overtime entering the Final Four, “Long list of invitees includes former and current players, legends, basketball executives from EuroLeague and NBA teams, agents, celebrities, and ELPA partners. It will be the main basketball get-together on a Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, and the name “overtime” makes a lot of sense, since everyone’s eyes will be on this event. Discussions around the business of basketball will be made in a relaxing and friendly atmosphere. Nowadays, we see a lot of division in European basketball, and the central idea of our event is to relay the message from the players: it is about working together, not breaking apart.”