The NBA and FIBA are exploring the possibility of launching a new European professional basketball league, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis said at a press conference Thursday. The specifics of such a league, should it come to be, are still very much being figured out. “It’s early days,” Silver said. “So literally nothing has been agreed upon yet. We’re still in the modeling, exploratory stage.”
Silver did, however, offer some initial possibilities. The early plan would call for 16 teams across several countries. Some of those teams could be existing EuroLeague teams, with The Athletic reporting that Real Madrid, Barca Barcelona, ASVEL Basket of Villeurbanne and Fenerbahçe Istanbul are possibilities. Others would be new teams built from scratch, likely in major markets that do not currently house major basketball teams.
In addition to permanent members — likely 12 –there would also be slots available to be earned through performance in either various national leagues or FIBA’s Basketball Champions League. Silver joked about relegation several times during the press conference as it related to tanking within the NBA, but given this potential model, it could exist in this league.
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Silver also acknowledged the differences in playing style between the NBA and FIBA. NBA games are 48 minutes whereas FIBA games are 40, and there are a number of differences within their respective rulebooks. He indicated that the plan would be to lean toward FIBA’s standard, saying “we want to honor the tradition of European sport.”
While the exact ownership structure of teams in such a league is still being determined, Silver noted that the plan would be for NBA owners to participate as a collective in league management, but not own teams in this league individually. There is not a timeline in place for when such a league could launch.
The NBA has grown increasingly popular in Europe over the past several decades, and the continent produces quite a bit of NBA talent. European basketball operates very differently than American basketball does, with the best teams scattered across several national leagues while simultaneously competing against one another in EuroLeague. Those disparate structures would still continue to exist, and given the size of this proposed league, may not be overly disturbed. But by setting up its own presence in Europe, the NBA could both continue its push to win over foreign fans while setting up a foothold to further develop international prospects that could eventually jump to the United States.
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