NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reaffirmed Thursday that the league, in partnership with FIBA, is pressing forward on plans to bring a new league to Europe but stopped short of making any formal announcements regarding timelines or which teams may be committed to coming aboard.
Silver spoke before the Memphis-Orlando game in Berlin, the first of two NBA Europe Games on this trip; the Grizzlies and Magic play again in London on Sunday. And to Silver, even discussing the notion of the long-planned new league in Germany made a lot of sense — given that nation currently holding the World Cup and EuroBasket titles.
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“We’re the fastest-growing sport right now in this country,” Silver said. “There’s, in essence, a golden era, I would say, of the sport. ... The 1936 Olympics here in Berlin, that’s when basketball was first introduced into the Olympic movement. In fact, James Naismith came here to Berlin for those games and purportedly tossed up the ball for the opening tip of the Games. So, there is that long history here."
The bigger question is what the future will be for the game in Germany and across Europe. The impact of international stars — particularly European stars — on the NBA game is clear right now, with Serbia's Nikola Jokic, Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo, France's Victor Wembanyama and Slovenia's Luka Doncic among the biggest basketball stars on the planet, all following in the footsteps of German great Dirk Nowitzki and more.
Many details for the new league are yet to be formally finalized, including when it will start play — the working target has been October 2027 — and how many teams will take part in that inaugural season. Among the models that the NBA and FIBA have explored is a 16-team league, with 12 “permanent” spots and the other four available through qualifying.
“I would just say we continue to be enormously excited about it,” Silver said about the notion of an NBA Europe. “We’ve been meeting with clubs that are interested in participating in our league. We’ve been in discussions with other potential stakeholders, including media companies that would like to cover it, potential media partners and traditional sponsors who want to work with us on the league. We’re looking at the opportunity to grow the arena infrastructure, not just here in Germany but throughout the continent. It’s something that we’re enormously excited about.”
Current target countries for the NBA-FIBA endeavor are known to include Britain (with the potential host cities there being London and Manchester), France (Paris and Lyon), Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), Italy (Rome and Milan), Germany (Munich and Berlin), Greece (Athens) and Turkey (Istanbul).
Growth will take time
The league and some of its financial partners and advisors have talked with interested stakeholders in Europe — existing clubs, heads of state and others — for some time.
There will be an entry fee, and it will be steep. And those who expect a fast return on those investments may be disappointed, Silver said.
“The funding would potentially come from, at least initially, the member clubs of the league,” Silver said. “I think similar to any startup venture, the participants would be the investors, and over time would hope to seek a return. ... I think if we were to successfully launch this new league, it will take a while, I think, before it is a viable commercial enterprise. I think all the participants recognize that this is not for those who have a short-term perspective.”
Also part of the plan: new arenas would be needed in certain markets, which will obviously take time and more money.
“What we are telling interested parties is that you need to have a very long-term perspective,” Silver said.
Stance of players
Orlando has three German players on its roster who were part of the game in Berlin, including Franz Wagner — who has spoken with Silver about the idea. So, too, has Doncic, and Silver said he wanted those opinions.
“I think it’s critically important that we respect the traditions of European basketball. ... We’re trying to find the best combination of the old and new, tradition and innovation," Silver said. “I think frankly, that’s what the NBA brings to the table. I think it’s also why it’s important not only to have FIBA as our partner but existing basketball organizations who understand the culture of European basketball, understand the traditions, the history, what makes European basketball unique in so many ways.”
NBA expansion
It is a juggling act right now for Silver and the NBA, trying to get through the potential launch of a league in Europe with the possibility of expanding its own league past the current 30 teams. Las Vegas and Seattle are the front-runners if NBA growth occurs.
“I’m sure you can see the bags under my eyes,” Silver said. “But we love hard work at the NBA.”
Silver has said that a decision on expanding the NBA will come by the end of 2026 and repeated that stance Thursday.
“To me, honestly, the real heavy lift would be creating a new league in Europe,” Silver said. “As I said, that’s an enormous undertaking, which is why we’ve been moving one step at a time and being very careful and cautious and making sure we’re covering all our bases.”
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