The NBA’s ambitious plan to launch a European basketball league has taken a significant step forward, with Commissioner Adam Silver confirming talks with French football giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Speaking
in London on Saturday, Silver said PSG — reigning UEFA Champions League holders — are among the clubs the NBA has held discussions with as it explores potential partners for the proposed competition, which is slated for a 2027 launch in partnership with world governing body FIBA.
“They are certainly one of the clubs we have had conversations with,” Silver told reporters. “We have enormous respect for their operating capabilities. They function at the highest level of sport, and they clearly have the know-how to run a basketball club should that be of interest to them.”
PSG are the latest football powerhouse to be linked to the project, following confirmation earlier this week that the NBA has also spoken with Real Madrid. Silver has been meeting potential investors during a European tour that included stops in London and Berlin, where the NBA staged a regular-season game between the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies.
While no teams have been formally announced, the NBA has outlined plans for a 16-team league, featuring 10 to 12 permanent franchises across Europe, with the remaining slots filled on a rotational basis. The competition is expected to blend existing European clubs with newly created teams, targeting both established and emerging basketball markets.
France, in particular, is viewed as a strategic priority. The country has become a major talent pipeline for the NBA, producing stars such as Victor Wembanyama, while roughly 15% of current NBA players hail from Europe, including Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic.
NBA Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum highlighted PSG’s global reach as a key attraction. “Paris is a market we absolutely want to be in,” he said. “PSG’s ability to build brand, culture and community is extremely compelling.”
However, the landscape is complex. Paris already has a EuroLeague side, Paris Basketball, and reports suggest the EuroLeague could pursue legal action if clubs break existing agreements to join a rival competition.
PSG are owned by Qatar Sports Investments, a subsidiary of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund. While the NBA currently caps sovereign wealth fund ownership at 20% of its teams, Silver acknowledged the European project could prompt a rethink.
“This is an opportunity to look at things from scratch in Europe,” he said. “We are open to different kinds of investors — including those not currently permitted in the NBA.”
/images/ppid_a911dc6a-image-17686984309539285.webp)
