The National Basketball Association (NBA) is even rumored to be in the active planning stages of launching a parallel European league themselves. This effort has the potential to align neatly with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently reiterated that the conversations are real with the EuroLeague and its member clubs. These rebranding discussions seek to create a public-private partnership that will lay the groundwork for this aspirational venture.
For Silver, it’s important to stress that the development of this new league is a process measured in years rather than months. He stated, “I will say it’s measured in years, not months,” indicating a deliberate approach to the initiative. The NBA’s goal is to bring all stakeholders to the table—current leagues, member clubs, players in Europe, media entities and marketing partners—in order to figure out how to proceed.
The NBA is laying the groundwork for a competing European super-league. Silver tempered expectations modestly, announcing that it would take at least two years to make this vision a reality. “So, we’re at least a couple years away from launching,” he affirmed, highlighting the careful planning required for such a major undertaking.
The league has expressed interest in several cities across Europe, with London, Manchester, Rome, and Munich emerging as potential hubs for the new venture. Many private and public international organizations have already expressed their intention to make these new, big markets their playground. Silver said that there has been a conversation for decades on creating a European league — widespread interest across ages.
The NBA’s exploration of this initiative comes at a time when European talent has made significant impacts in the league. Naturalized players such as Serbia’s Nikola Jokic and Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo stole the show. At the same time, Luka Doncic of Slovenia and Victor Wembanyama of France are capturing headlines, further increasing the NBA’s global interest. Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic have won five of the past seven Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards between the three of them.
In discussing the potential for this new competition, Silver remarked, “That might be a good launching pad for an announcement around a new competition.” He reiterated the NBA’s belief in the untapped demand for basketball in Europe, stating, “Either way, we continue to feel there are an enormous number of underserved basketball fans in Europe and that there’s a strong opportunity to have another league styled after the NBA.”
The NBA is meeting with teams and other stakeholders to assess the landscape of European basketball. It is further committed to ensuring that any new league is built atop a strong foundation of collaboration and mutual benefit. It will be a fascinating few years ahead as the league continues down this challenging new path.
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