The NBA are surging ahead with their plans for a new basketball league in Europe, which is set to roll out in 12 months’ time, despite the failed negotiations for a possible partnership with the EuroLeague, the continent’s current premier competition.
NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said on Tuesday that the European venture, in collaboration with FIBA (basketball’s international governing body), will be “the largest investment in European basketball in its history”.
Earlier this month, the EuroLeague, which currently features 20 teams, including Dubai Basketball, rejected an offer from the NBA to merge and form a single European operation.
The EuroLeague then followed that up by unveiling a 10-year business plan last Friday that included a shift to a franchise-based model projected to lead to a three-fold increase in the collective value of the current licensed clubs, which would reach an amount of €5.4 billion over the next 10 years.
Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DTC Abu Dhabi) has made significant investments in basketball with multi-year deals in place with both the NBA and the EuroLeague.
The agreement with the NBA, which was renewed early this year, includes staging NBA preseason games in Abu Dhabi, setting up development initiatives, and centralising the league’s global academies at one single location in the UAE capital.
Meanwhile, the deal between DCT Abu Dhabi and the EuroLeague includes a sponsorship component and brought the Final Four to Etihad Arena in 2025, as well as the inaugural edition of the EuroLeague Super Cup to the same venue last month.
‘Reimagining’ European basketball
Despite recent developments, Tatum assured that the NBA’s plans are full steam ahead, adding, “we continue to be hopeful that we'll reach an agreement, but we're prepared to proceed regardless.”
Tatum did not commit to a specific timeline regarding the announcement of any team deals for the NBA Europe project but is confident things will be in place for the intended tip-off next year.
“We continue to target October 2027. We target that to begin rolling out this project. And we believe that the timing is realistic here,” he said.
“Remember, this is not just about a season and launching a new league, it's reimagining the entire European basketball ecosystem, built on that merit-based foundation that gives every fan and club in Europe the right to dream.
“So, this is a historic moment, and we are going to take the time we need to get it right, but we definitely expect to begin announcing teams soon as agreements get finalised.”
‘Projected profits by year three’
While Tatum refused to divulge details of any negotiations that have taken place with the EuroLeague, he did respond to questions posed about their 10-year business plan, and how the NBA’s proposal is expected to create “significantly more value” and bring a “much quicker pathway to profitability”.
“We believe that we've developed a model here that combines the best elements of global sports, including the merit-based pathways that make European sport so special,” said Tatum, referring to the proposed model of promotion and relegation introduced by the NBA/FIBA venture.
“As we thought about this European league, as we went into it, the passion is there. There's no doubt that the fans love the game of basketball. You see that in the arenas, in the experiences and we want to maintain that. We want to preserve that. But there's still a lot of confusion for fans of European basketball today.
“What we believe is that our model is going to actually widen the opportunity for fans to actually understand the merit-based pathway of how their teams can play in the top-tier league. And so that's what we're focused on.
“The 10-year business plan by the EuroLeague doesn't affect our plans. I will tell you that our model will provide clubs with a much quicker pathway to profitability. I saw some of the reports in terms of the teams that are not financially stable in the EuroLeague today.
“The average permanent team in our league is projected to be profitable by year three. I saw the amount of investment that the EuroLeague is going to distribute back to its clubs. I will tell you that our projections show that we're going to triple those projections – billions and billions of dollars in distributions over 10 years that will go back to these clubs and make them financially stable.
“Beyond team profitability, we're also focused on investment. This will be the largest investment in European basketball in its history. We'll invest in academies, grassroots development, league operations, marketing, and arena infrastructure, which is really needed.
“We’ll leverage the NBA's global platform, our reach, and our expertise in premium IP to really unlock the full potential of European basketball and put the game on a stronger financial footing, which is going to be better for the clubs, which is going to be better for the players, which is going to be better for the fans. So, that's what we're really focused on and we're moving forward. So, we're excited about that.”
Battle for continental riches
Last year, NBA commissioner Adam Silver told The National that the intended 16-team Europe league is meant to be a hybrid of permanent franchises and teams that would go through promotion and relegation.
“I think we want the best of both systems. I think from a financial standpoint, in terms of creating incentives to build arena infrastructures and invest in team organisations, having some permanence obviously helps from an investor standpoint,” Silver explained.
“On the other hand, we do want to take advantage of great European traditions in sport and of course, promotion and relegation is part of that.”
With negotiations stalling between the NBA/FIBA and the EuroLeague, the battle for Europe’s basketball riches could lead to a fragmented offering that could undervalue both operations.
“To us, it's not about us or them, it's how can we collectively do a better job continuing to advance the game in Europe?” Silver had said in his interview with The National 12 months ago.
At the moment, it’s definitely a case of ‘us versus them’.
In his opening remarks with international reporters on Tuesday, Tatum noted how the last eight NBA MVPs were all born outside the United States.
Tuesday’s opening night of the new NBA season featured rosters with 70 European players, marking the second consecutive season and second time ever with at least that many.
France has a league-high 17 international players competing in the NBA for the 2026/27 campaign, marking the first time in 13 seasons that a country other than Canada has led the NBA in international players.
“These players not only generate interest among fans from their respective countries and regions, but they're superstars who resonate with billions of NBA fans globally,” Tatum added.
“There's never been a better time to be an international NBA fan, but even with everything that we're doing to engage the billions of passionate fans around the world, we still believe that we're just scratching the surface of how popular this game and this league can be on a global basis.”
The new European league is meant to capitalise on the NBA’s global appeal, and expand it even further.
The door for further negotiations with the EuroLeague remains open, according to Tatum. Time will tell if both sides will become partners or competitors moving forward.
