EuroLeague Basketball chiefs are expecting a takeover approach from the NBA involving collaboration on a new European basketball league, although no offer has yet been received.
EuroLeague chief executive Chus Bueno said EuroLeague Basketball was open to exploring partnership opportunities over the future of European basketball. He added that any NBA offer would be evaluated if it arrived, while the EuroLeague would continue with its own growth plans.
The comments follow NBA commissioner Adam Silver saying this week that joining forces with the EuroLeague was the NBA’s preferred option. Silver said he believed a league would be strengthened by the two organisations working together, although he added that a merger did not have to happen.
EuroLeague owners to consider any approach
EuroLeague owners include clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Panathinaikos, Olympiacos, Bayern Munich and Fenerbahce. They are due to meet early next month and are understood, according to City AM, to be considering any NBA approach if it arrives in good time.
City AM reported that Silver’s comments, which followed a scheduled meeting of the NBA board of governors on Tuesday, were seen as a softening of the NBA’s stance on collaboration with the EuroLeague.
The NBA believes European basketball is significantly under-commercialised and has approached private-equity firms and European football clubs to bid for franchises in NBA Europe. However, it has faced resistance in trying to recruit EuroLeague teams to a proposed competition that would include new franchises in cities such as London, Paris and Berlin.
NBA Europe launch could be phased
Discussions with potential NBA Europe investors are understood to be continuing. Some investors told City AM that the proposed autumn 2027 launch may need to be postponed, while Silver said he did not believe potential investors were necessarily impatient about launching in the next season.
Silver said NBA Europe had no teams, format or commercial deals in place yet, meaning it might need to launch in phases over several years. He said the initial product likely to be seen a year from now would differ from the league’s eventual form after all the teams had been brought together and it was formally operating.
EuroLeague owners have plans to add more teams in the following year and are due to meet in Como, Italy, on 5 October to discuss expansion and future strategy. Silver said announcements about NBA Europe were expected over the following months and that discussions were proceeding seriously.
Source: City AM
