EuroLeague shareholders reject NBA joint proposal

EuroLeague shareholders voted down the proposal at a shareholders' assembly, Fanatik reported. The NBA and FIBA responded with a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to a 2027 launch, saying a unified framework would expand the sport's potential in Europe while upholding the principles of the European sports model.

Speaking at the Leaders Week conference in London, NBA Europe director George Aivazoglou said planning was moving ahead for a 16-team league that would emphasize qualification on sporting merit. He cited a significant value gap in European basketball that required strategic transformation, Fanatik reported.

What NBA Europe would look like

The NBA and FIBA have explored a 16-team format with 12 permanent franchises and four places decided through qualification, targeting an October 2027 launch. The working title is NBA Europe. Target cities include London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Rome, Munich, Berlin, Athens and Istanbul.

The NBA has received several billion-dollar bids for teams, the BBC reported. Multiple bids were worth between $500m and $1bn, with several above $1bn. Sports Business Journal reported in May that about 20 existing basketball and soccer clubs offered between $500m and $1bn in the first phase.

The NBA told bidders it would invest more than $3bn to offset potential early-stage losses and keep teams solvent, Sports Business Journal reported. The commitment is larger than the $500m to $1bn offers for individual franchises in the first phase. The league said it would cover early financial deficits to prevent teams from having to put in extra capital during the launch. The NBA and FIBA would at first own 52% of NBA Europe, with participating teams eventually taking a majority equity stake after expansion. Permanent franchises cannot face relegation, and neither the NBA nor its owners will take distributions during the ramp-up period, according to the report.

EuroLeague's backup plan

EuroLeague CEO Chus Bueno's backup plan is to expand its closed system to as many as 24 teams, with 21 permanent members, by 2027-28, Heavy reported. That would put EuroLeague in direct competition with NBA Europe for clubs, cities and TV money. EuroLeague has run Europe's top club competition for 25 years since breaking away from FIBA in 2000.

EuroLeague shareholder clubs are expected to meet within a month to discuss long-term licences, Fanatik reported. A senior club executive said the 13 shareholder clubs remain united and expected a revised proposal from the NBA. Industry executives told Fanatik that any formal collaboration may not materialize before 2028.

NBA stance

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in June that the league hoped to integrate operations with EuroLeague but would move forward either way. Deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told Sky Sports the NBA remained in active discussions with EuroLeague and was ready to proceed with FIBA and its partners if needed.

Final bids were due at the end of June, and Silver said the NBA expected to be in position to award franchises in the autumn, CNA reported. NBA Europe is still on course to launch in October 2027, Sports Business Journal reported.