NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed Thursday that the league is exploring a partnership with FIBA for a new European basketball league. After a meeting with the NBA Board of Governors, Silver addressed the media alongside FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis.
“I’m particularly pleased today, along with my colleague Andreas, to announce that we’re ready to go to the next stage and that is to explore a potential league in Europe with FIBA as our partners,” Silver said (via Front Office Sports). “Coming out of the most successful World Cup and Olympics ever, we also believe it is the right time to take the next step for club basketball,” Zagklis added (via ESPN).
Silver noted that NBA owners expressed “enthusiastic support” for the venture, which has been under discussion for several months. He emphasized that while the league’s formation is not finalized—“literally nothing has been agreed upon yet”—the intention to explore it is an effort to maintain transparency for potential European teams and owners interested in participating.
“We want to have very open and direct conversations with existing stakeholders and not have backroom conversations. It was our feeling if we announced our intentions, then we could openly discuss with existing stakeholders, existing clubs, what their level of interest is and the community would know that,” Silver stated.
What would this new league entail? Silver envisions 16 teams, with The Athletic reported Thursday that four EuroLeague teams, including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, ASVEL Basket of Villeurbanne, and Fenerbahçe Istanbul, could join. Major cities like Paris, London, Berlin, and Munich are also potential hosts for teams. Additionally, Silver highlighted the importance of respecting European basketball traditions, proposing 40-minute quarters and a FIBA-style of play.
The Athletic also reported that NBA owners would have an equity stake in the league, though not in the individual franchises.
