Over the past weekend, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that he is interested in creating a new European league.
Having been in conversations with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) for the past several months, Silver officially announced the NBA’s interest in creating a new league in the continent.
Details revealed from the league and Silver state that the proposed new European league would feature 12 to 16 franchises across the continent and would play in their respective cities and national leagues.
Whilst the new NBA Europe league will potentially see permanent franchises as part of the league, there will also be a pathway to qualification and also feature promotion and relegation, something that does not exist across the NBA and other US sport leagues.
With 12 permanent members and four spots available to play into or be relegated out of the group each season, franchises would be awarded in a mix of existing club teams, potentially with some defectors from the existing EuroLeague, and startups.
They would be based in proven markets and European capitals, as well as those considered to be underserved current and future hotbeds.
As part of a new league, the NBA and FIBA would also plan to dedicate financial support and resources to the continued development of Europe’s basketball ecosystem, including club team academies and the NBA and FIBA’s existing programs to develop aspiring players, coaches and referees at all levels of the game.
Silver confirmed that investment from existing NBA team owners is possible but not to the extent of full ownership, seeking to provide opportunities for European-based entrepreneurs.
Recent reports regarding the possibility of a new NBA Europe league has caught the interest of football clubs Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, following in the footsteps of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid by creating an offshoot basketball team.
The announcement was made by Silver and FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis following a recent NBA Board of Governors meeting in New York and the FIBA Executive Committee meeting in early March in Mies, Switzerland.
Silver commented: “One of the things I’m fascinated in exploring is to the extent we have the ability to create a league from scratch. How would we do things differently based on 79 years of learning in the NBA and based on decades of learning for FIBA?”
“The NBA and FIBA are uniquely positioned to build on the rich tradition of European basketball. We look forward to collaborating with FIBA to explore the creation of a new league for fans across the continent.”
A long time coming?
Basketball is widely viewed as the second most popular sport in Europe behind football and has been growing exponentially over the past several decades.
Much of the interest in basketball across the continent can be attributed to the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, where the famous ‘Dream Team’ featuring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird won gold.
This saw the popularity of the sport explode and was widely pointed as the reason as to why so many European-born players competed in the NBA, particularly NBA Champion Dirk Nowitzski from Germany.
Currently in the NBA, many of the best players in the league come from European countries, such as three-time NBA MVP and Champion Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama.
With FIBA noting there is “untapped potential” for a NBA Europe League, the NBA has been working towards this potential next step by hosting regular season games across the continent, most recently in Paris, France this season.
“The European basketball community is proud of its seven-decade history of international club competitions and the elite talent it develops,” added Zagklis.
“Yet given the sport’s popularity and the success of national team competitions, there is untapped potential in European club basketball.
“A new league in Europe would combine the NBA’s business acumen with the international expertise of FIBA to attract new basketball fans and investors alike, maximize club benefits, and establish synergies for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
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