Silver says NBA could soon expand to Europe

The NBA has had discussions about starting its own basketball league in Europe. Commissioner Adam Silver told the Associated Press on Friday that the NBA is considering its next move on the continent and is weighing whether to start an annual tournament or league.

It is not yet clear how far along the NBA is in its planning. Silver said that the NBA is not in a place where it will “transform a league structure in the short term.” But talks about a league have gone far enough that it has recently been a topic of discussion in European basketball circles. The league has been working with financial firm, The Raine Group, to explore its opportunities in Europe.

The NBA’s possible league would involve FIBA, according to sources briefed on the matter. A FIBA spokeswoman confirmed that it and the NBA are having talks about “many projects worldwide, including in Europe.”

“We certainly haven’t made any definitive decisions,” Silver told the Associated Press. “I continue to believe there’s enormous opportunity here.”

The NBA, if it were to start a league, would potentially have a direct competitor. The EuroLeague, a conglomerate of 18 of the continent’s best teams, serves as the top basketball competition outside of North America. It is comprised of two tiers of franchises, 13 of which are known as permanent members in the league and six that must qualify for the league. The so-called permanent members are shareholders in the EuroLeague and operate under a license, but that license expires after the 2025-26 season, those with knowledge of those contracts said.

In June, the shareholder teams reportedly agreed to extend their licenses through 2040. That decision has not been ratified yet.

The NBA could take advantage of what some European basketball executives see as a period of uncertainty. Top European basketball teams do not make as much money as NBA teams or their soccer peers. Some, or potentially most, even lose money, European basketball sources said. European basketball media rights are small compared to other leagues and sports.

There is also a desire to win at the top levels of European basketball that leads teams to eat losses in the pursuit of championships. A league led by the NBA could change those dynamics, European basketball officials say, even if it comes with an improved economic structure.

“The fear has always been if the NBA comes in, it’s going to be what the NBA is in the States: it’s business and it’s entertainment, and then it’s sports,” said one EuroLeague source.

EuroLeague is currently testing the market for a potential equity investment, according to reports, and has hired investment bank LionTree as an advisor.

If some teams are unhappy with the path the EuroLeague takes, the NBA’s new league could provide a different option. The NBA has already put together a similar model with its Basketball Africa League, which brings together some of the top teams on that continent in games outside of their domestic competitions.

“No one was waiting for the NBA to come in but at this point, there’s a certain need to structure the markets and the competitions in a certain way,” one EuroLeague team president said. “There is one brand that has proven they can do that.”

FIBA has significant ties to the NBA. Deputy commissioner Mark Tatum is the league’s representative to FIBA’s central board. FIBA and the NBA also held talks at the All-Star Game in Indianapolis in February, and Silver said the members from the two sides have been in discussions while at the Olympics.

(Photo of Adam Silver: David Dow / NBAE via Getty Images)