By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The end of March is also the end of the bidding process for the NBA Europe potential investors, but after many twists and turns, the future of European basketball may end up being a collaboration between all major stakeholders.
Per Eurohoops sources, the EuroLeague and the NBA are expected to have a new meeting in the next few days with the goal of finally creating a joint project, even in the 11th hour.
No official announcement has been made yet on the matter, but the recent statement of Adam Silver was more than clear about a possible collaboration, and the same has been said by EuroLeague CEO Chus Bueno.
Meanwhile, the NBA Europe project continues to be on track, preparing for a 2027 tipoff, with the question now being whether we will end up with a joint competition that will also include EuroLeague.
According to many sources close to the bidding process, the interest in the NBA project is coming mainly from US funds, which are aiming for the UK and Rome, while there’s also local interest in Paris. Due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, Arab funds are currently more reluctant. However, there’s money on the table, even if everyone agrees at this point that nobody is willing to pay a 500M fee to enter the new league.
On the other side, the EuroLeague Board will meet on the 14th of April, with the format of next season being under discussion. While even the expansion of the league in theory is a possibility, the most probable outcome of the meeting will be one more season with 20 teams keeping the same format.
After all, the future of Monaco and ASVEL in the league are question mark for different reasons, and adding extra teams may also complicate the negotiations.
A different negotiating position and a 24-team competition
The will to make a deal is obvious from both sides, and having Chus Bueno in the negotiations makes things simpler, because of his former experience as an NBA executive. However, for a deal to happen, it should be a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Back in 2024, the offer that the NBA made was essentially taking control of the EuroLeague and having 51% of the ownership for providing their managerial and financial expertise. That’s why the talks never took any meaningful shape. With the EuroLeague being valued currently at €3,2B, the case is totally different.
Meanwhile, according to EuroLeague sources, both Real Madrid, which endorsed Chus Bueno as the new CEO, and Fenerbahce are very close to signing the new 10-year licenses, further solidifying the position of the top European competition. Of course, this is a move that seemingly goes hand-in-hand with the upcoming talks with the NBA.
FIBA, from their side, wants to have open dates on the European competitions calendars to accommodate the national teams’ “windows”, and also to have a clear path for qualification to the top-tier club competition that will also include the domestic leagues.
If the EuroLeague and the NBA get a financial deal, then the FIBA demands are expected to also be respected. In that case, a scenario of 24-team competition is possible in order to accommodate as many new and old clubs as possible that are able to be part of the top competition level in Europe.
Yes, it seems too good to be true, but after two years of maneuvering that threaten European basketball with a new schism, there’s hope that a 26-year rift between FIBA and the EuroLeague will end, and on top of that, a mutually profitable collaboration with the NBA will begin…