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The NBA Europe project is no longer an idea filed away in a conference folder. EuroLeague must now contend with a proposal from the North American league, against a backdrop of a packed schedule and a decisive meeting announced for early October. Behind the cautious wording, the stakes are clear: should the American giant be integrated into the existing ecosystem, or should an autonomous European expansion be defended?
A choice that goes beyond a simple negotiation
The NBA has been working with FIBA for months on the creation of a European professional league.
The NBA has been working with FIBA for months on the creation of a European professional league. The initial scenario looked like a new competition built alongside the EuroLeague, with permanent franchises in several major cities across the continent and a few spots tied to FIBA competitions. But the scenario currently under consideration shifts the center of gravity: the NBA could acquire stakes in the EuroLeague and use this established structure to accelerate its arrival.
This change in method matters just as much as the project itself. EuroLeague already has its shareholder clubs, its established practices, its broadcasters and its loyal fan base. It also knows that its closed model, long criticized, looks more like what the NBA understands than the traditional European sports pyramid. An alliance could therefore avoid a head-on war between two competing products. It would, however, raise an explosive question: who sets the rules, the revenues and the strongholds of club basketball in Europe?
Shareholder clubs at the center of the game
The owners of the shareholder clubs are due to meet to examine the options. Two paths are emerging. The first would involve accepting closer ties with the NBA, at the cost of sharing power and possibly redefining the historic balance of power. The second would mean accelerating the plan already launched by the EuroLeague, with a move announced toward 24 teams in 2027-2028 and the transformation of current licenses into more sustainable franchises.
This homegrown plan is far from insignificant. It aims to make the competition clearer for investors, more stable for clubs and more resilient to the NBA’s arrival. EuroLeague is already seeking new markets, and several European cities have expressed interest. This is therefore not a motionless organization waiting to learn its fate. It is a league trying to grow before its neighbor comes knocking with deeper pockets and a global brand.
The schedule is putting everyone under pressure
Adam Silver has repeated that the NBA is continuing to talk with EuroLeague, while suggesting that the European project should come into being even without a full agreement. This stance creates a kind of countdown. If EuroLeague refuses, it risks seeing a direct competitor emerge, backed by FIBA and capable of attracting major investors. If it accepts, it can protect part of its legacy, but it will probably have to surrender considerable influence.
For the clubs, the calculation is not limited to prestige. It concerns commercial revenues, the value of licenses, travel, domestic schedules and the place of domestic leagues. In France, Spain, Italy or Germany, the clubs likely to be targeted by the NBA are already looking at several scenarios at once. Those established in EuroLeague want to secure their status. Those dreaming of entering it see a window rarely left this open.
A battle of models before a battle on the court
The most striking thing about this sequence is that it is being played out even before the opening tip. The discussions concern stakes, formats, markets and rights, but they will then determine the quality of the spectacle, the level of competition and the room left for clubs that build themselves through performance on the court.
The NBA brings extraordinary commercial power and a flair for presentation that no one disputes. EuroLeague, for its part, possesses sporting memory, deeply rooted rivalries and an intimate understanding of the European audience. If the two worlds find common ground, club basketball could move up to another level. If they go their separate ways, the autumn could usher in a battle for influence in which every club signing will matter as much as a decisive basket.