Playing Through Contact: NBA's European Dream Takes Shape Despite EuroLeague Tensions

The NBA is accelerating plans to launch a European league, with deputy commissioner Mark Tatum confirming that initial responses from prospective investors are expected by the end of March.

“We’ve told the potential investors we need to know their level of interest by the end of March,” Tatum said in Los Angeles ahead of All-Star weekend.

“That’s the timeline where we’re expecting these dozens of investors to come back and say, ‘Yes, we’re interested in this market, at this price.’”

The league is targeting autumn 2027 to finalize the project.

A 16-Team Vision

The proposed competition — being developed in partnership with FIBA — would feature 12 permanent franchises and four qualifying teams.

Target cities include Paris, Lyon, London, Berlin, Madrid,

Barcelona, Milan, Rome, Manchester, Munich, Athens and Istanbul. The blueprint blends established European clubs with newly created franchises, tapping into both traditional and emerging basketball markets.

Major football brands such as Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and AC Milan have reportedly been approached about forming teams.

France is viewed as a strategic anchor. Around 15% of current NBA players are European, including stars like Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic.

EuroLeague Tensions

The expansion has stirred unease within the EuroLeague, Europe’s top club competition, which recently appointed Spaniard Chus Bueno as president.

Tatum struck a conciliatory tone, noting Bueno’s past as an NBA executive.

“We’ve always said from the very beginning we’ve wanted to work together with the EuroLeague to align everyone,” Tatum said.

“With having Chus there, somebody who knows us well, who knows European basketball well, perhaps he can be a bridge between us, FIBA, and the EuroLeague.”

The clock is ticking — and by the end of March, the NBA expects to know whether Europe is ready to buy in.

(with AFP inputs)