By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The EuroLeague Playoffs start in a few hours, but in the immortal words of Public Enemy’s “He Got Game” song, from the homonymous Spike Lee motion picture, there is also a game behind the game.
And the stakes couldn’t be higher than those in Tuesday’s meeting in Geneva between FIBA, the NBA, and the EuroLeague.
After many twists and turns it would be naive to believe that this meeting can make or break the future of European basketball. However, it can be the start for the better, and hopefully not for the worse.
This will be the first official meeting between the new EuroLeague CEO, Chus Bueno, and the NBA and FIBA.
NBA Director for Europe and the Middle East, George Aivazoglou, is expected to be there, plus FIBA top management, which is hosting the meeting.
No clubs in attendance
The main difference compared to other meetings between the three sides in Geneva is that the EuroLeague clubs will not be in attendance.
According to Eurohoops sources, this is a conscious choice of the league shareholding clubs, which have full trust in the new CEO and also in the president Dejan Bodiroga, who will also be there, as well as other members of the management.
Plus, this decision reaffirms the EuroLeague position that any discussion about the future of a joint league should include all EuroLeague shareholders. Chus Bueno and Dejan Bodiroga have this mandate, but they are also ready to discuss anything on the table, waiting to hear the other side.
The scenario of a possible collaboration with a 24-team format, as already being reported by Eurohoops, is an option that may be presented for discussion from the EuroLeague side.
On top of that, the EuroLeague, after the new €3.2B league valuation, and with both Fenerbahce and ASVEL willing to stay in the fold, even if they haven’t yet signed the new 10-year licenses, holds a strong position on the table.
To be exact, Real Madrid is the only EuroLeague shareholder that hasn’t open their cards yet, but there are many indications about their intention to ultimately stay in the EuroLeague, including the club’s appreciation for the new CEO.
Meanwhile, the EuroLeague itself is evaluating its own expansion with teams from 14 markets, both existing and new, including London, being interested in joining in after the summer of 2027.
The NBA will make no offer
According to sources close to tomorrow’s meeting, however, the NBA will not propose or make an offer to acquire the EuroLeague, either in whole or in part.
The NBA and FIBA are expected to reiterate their proposed vision for a new league in Europe, provide an update on the significant interest they’ve received from prospective teams and investors, and outline how current EuroLeague teams that haven’t already submitted bids can participate in this new ecosystem, either by making a bid or by qualifying via a second-tier competition or their domestic league.
So the only way to guarantee a permanent spot in the NBA and FIBA’s league is through a successful bid for a permanent franchise through the NBA and FIBA’s investment process.
As it’s already reported, according to sources close to the bidding process, more than 120 prospective investors, including existing basketball and football clubs, outside investment groups, and high-net-worth individuals, have expressed significant and serious interest in the NBA and FIBA’s proposed league.
Plus, the NBA and FIBA have received bids from over 20 existing basketball and football clubs, including several existing EuroLeague teams, an information that Eurohoops sources are challenging concerning the EuroLeague teams’ part.
Those bids are covering all 12 target cities (London, Manchester, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Lyon, Munich, Berlin, Rome, Milan, Athens, Istanbul), and they are within the $500M to $1B range, including several bids above the $1B mark, which would be by far the most capital ever committed to European basketball.
Can the two sides walk together and find a way to collaborate? The question remains, and the wish of everyone involved in European basketball is that the meeting will end up being productive, even if all sides involved seem ready at least for a hard bargain.
After all, both Adam Silver and Chus Bueno openly said that a possible collaboration will be in everyone’s mutual interest, and that remains to be seen.