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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
NBA Europe has not yet played a single game, but the battle among investors is already raging. A consortium led by Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks, has submitted a bid exceeding one billion dollars to secure the London franchise, one of the most coveted in the future league. The league is set to launch in the second half of 2027 with sixteen founding teams. The figure is staggering: a sum never before reached for a basketball team that exists only on paper.
A bidding war that exceeds expectations
More than 120 potential investors have expressed interest in NBA Europe, with bids ranging from 500 million to over one billion dollars per team.
The New York Times, via The Athletic, revealed on August 2 that Arora has assembled a group of investors ready to spend more than one billion dollars — approximately 740 million pounds sterling — for the London spot. The businessman had already made headlines this summer by leading the consortium that acquired the London Spirit, the most lucrative franchise in the English cricket league The Hundred, for 295 million pounds.
More than 120 potential investors have expressed interest in NBA Europe, with bids ranging from 500 million to over one billion dollars per team. London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Barcelona, and Milan are among the targeted markets. Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, has confirmed that the league aims to launch during the second half of 2027. The envisioned format — a semi-closed league of sixteen teams — would replicate the North American model, with franchises owned by private investors rather than historic clubs. This architecture is radically different from that of European sport, and it is likely to disrupt many established habits.
Why the British capital is so attractive
London ticks all the boxes. A modern arena with the O2 Arena, a public that regularly fills the regular-season games held there since 2011, an English-speaking media ecosystem, and a financial center capable of absorbing ten-figure valuations. Basketball is experiencing steady growth there: the London Lions, who competed in the EuroCup, have proven that a professional club can rally support in the capital.
The NBA has never hidden its European ambitions. After NBA Africa launched in 2021, expansion into the Old Continent represents the league's next major international project. Television rights, merchandising, and the pool of European talent — nearly 70 current NBA players are from Europe — justify this colossal investment. Arora is not a novice, either: his recent purchase of the London Spirit shows he knows how to convince partners and structure funding rounds in the British sports economy. His profile as a tech executive, leading a cybersecurity company valued at over 100 billion dollars, reassures other investors about the solidity of the financial arrangement.
What this means for European basketball
The arrival of NBA Europe will reshuffle the cards of the continental landscape. The EuroLeague and FIBA are watching the project closely, with several historic franchises fearing a drain of talent and sponsors toward this new competition backed by the NBA's marketing machine. The question remains which sporting model will be adopted: a closed league like across the Atlantic, or a system incorporating some form of promotion and relegation. The issue is burning for clubs like Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow, or Fenerbahçe, pillars of the EuroLeague, which could see their attractiveness diminish if NBA Europe captures most of the television revenue and partnerships.
The entry price of one billion dollars gives an unequivocal indication. Investors are not betting on a secondary product: they are betting that European professional basketball can change scale and generate revenues comparable to those of the major American leagues. The 2027 season is approaching, and London could well be its showcase. For now, no other city has seen such an aggressive offer emerge. The British capital has taken a head start.
