Written with the help of artificial-intelligence tools and checked by automated controls.
A League Not Yet Launched, Already Challenged
The NBA Europe project was primarily intended to reignite the battle for continental basketball supremacy. It is now opening a social front. David Kelly, the new executive director of the NBA players' association, warned that players want to share in the revenues generated by the future European competition. The idea is not a backstage detail: it touches on the very definition of the wealth created by the NBA brand.
Kelly is not necessarily demanding the same share as the one obtained from revenues generated by the American NBA.
According to several specialized media outlets, Kelly believes that the future league will rely on the reputation built by current players and by those from previous generations. The union is not merely challenging the launch of an international product. It is highlighting the risk that owners could open up a new revenue stream outside the economic sharing framework established in North America.
The Sensitive Issue of Basketball-Related Revenue
The heart of the debate lies in a familiar expression in collective bargaining: basketball-related revenue. In today's NBA, this scope is used to calculate the distribution between franchises and players. NBA Europe, because it would be structured as a separate competition, could fall outside this mechanism under the existing collective bargaining framework.
Kelly is not necessarily demanding the same share as the one obtained from revenues generated by the American NBA. His message is more strategic: if clubs, investors, and the league profit from the aura of NBA stars, players want economic recognition. This position is already laying the groundwork for the next major collective bargaining negotiation, even though the current agreement still runs for several years and does not automatically require the league to include NBA Europe in the shared revenue pool.
A Project Still in Flux
The announced timeline puts the launch of NBA Europe on the horizon of 2027-2028. The NBA is moving forward with FIBA, in a market where the EuroLeague is already defending its territory and where major European clubs are carefully examining the financial terms. Information published in recent months describes an ambitious setup, with permanent franchises, sporting places, and significant commercial rights.
It is precisely this ambition that is drawing the union's attention. The more the project resembles a global growth vehicle for the NBA, the harder it becomes for players to accept that it be treated as an activity separate from their contribution. The NBA name, international audiences, jerseys, tours, and the league's cultural influence rely heavily on the players. Their argument is simple: brand value does not come out of nowhere.
An Early Power Struggle
This position does not mean that the matter is blocked. Rather, it indicates that players want to enter the discussion early. The NBA can still present NBA Europe as a development project, beneficial to local basketball and complementary to its main league. The union, for its part, will seek to prevent a new structure from becoming an unfavorable financial precedent.
The standoff is therefore less immediate than scheduled. No game has been played yet, but the negotiating lines are already taking shape: who finances, who controls, who benefits, and what share goes to the players whose prestige serves as the commercial engine. For NBA Europe, the sporting question will be crucial. The economic question, however, is already open.