By Streisand Neto
LONDON, Sept 4 (Reuters) – EuroLeague Basketball is prepared to compete with NBA Europe if it does not form a partnership with the proposed league, which is backed by the sport’s governing FIBA and the NBA and plans to launch in October 2027, CEO Chus Bueno has said.
The NBA has received many bids within and exceeding the $500 million to $1 billion range in each of its 12 target cities, including from more than 20 existing basketball and football clubs, many of which are current EuroLeague teams.
The Euroleague would like to share its expertise in Europe with the NBA in return for help from the American league but is ready to go it alone unless a deal is mutually beneficial.
“If we don’t get a deal in Europe, we’re going to compete in Europe … that’s the discussion that we had internally, and if we have to, we’re ready,” said Bueno, CEO since February 2026, alluding to Euroleague’s signed sponsorship and TV deals.
“It has to be a partnership that works for both of us, not just for one of us,” he told Reuters.
“We know the NBA can help operate things so we should follow the NBA and they should follow the local IP (brand value) of clubs because they’ve been on the ground for 100 years and they can bring also a lot to the table for the NBA …,” Bueno added.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in July that the hope was to “create some sort of consolidation of European basketball. I remain optimistic that we’re going to be able to accomplish that”.
PARTNERSHIP BENEFITS
A partnership between EuroLeague and the NBA would offset some major hurdles if a deal can be agreed.
“If you have two leagues … this is going to create fragmentation of the value, institutionally but also commercially, in media rights, fan attendance,” Bueno said.
Despite the challenges, both organisations are moving forward with their plans with and without each other.
“We both said that if we don’t have a deal, we have to keep going with our plans. So, as you know, they keep going through the process, and I keep going with my plan.”
NBA Europe is expected to feature 16 teams, with 12 permanent franchises and four annual qualifiers.
The plan, according to deputy commissioner and COO Mark Tatum, includes a FIBA Basketball Champions League and eventually having the Europe league winners enter the NBA Cup, an annual NBA tournament played during the regular season.
STAR ATTRACTION
Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing analyst, believes NBA Europe would attract many of Europe’s leading players.
“I would not bet against NBA Europe in a competition with the Euroleague, given the NBA’s tremendous financial resources, name recognition and star power,” he said.
“With so many international stars playing in the NBA in the U.S., it would be expected that the best European players would opt for NBA Europe, where salaries would be higher and the open gameplay more suitable to individual success.”
Meanwhile, the EuroLeague aims to expand to 24 teams from 20 for the 2027-28 season, when 21 teams will become permanent franchises. The current 13 shareholders’ licences will be converted into franchises without a fee.
The organisation will award up to eight new long-term franchises in cities where EuroLeague is looking to expand.
“We’re talking Paris, London, Milan, Naples, big cities that we want to explore how we can have franchises there,” Bueno said, adding it currently has “12 binding proposals” with a combined value of a little over 800 million euros in fees.
EuroLeague, which was founded in 2000, will commence its regular season starting with 11-times champions Real Madrid facing off against UAE-based Dubai on September 24.
Olympiacos are the defending champions, having beaten Real in last year’s final to win their fourth title.
(Reporting by Streisand Neto; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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