The NBA is nearing agreements with clubs to establish its new European basketball league, with deputy commissioner Mark Tatum signalling that announcements about the initial participating teams will follow soon. He also stressed that an agreement with EuroLeague remains possible despite several leading European clubs recently rejecting the NBA’s proposed partnership.
Speaking on Tuesday, October 20, as the 2026–27 NBA season began, Tatum said preparations were advancing rapidly and the league remained on track to launch NBA Europe in October 2027. He said negotiations with prospective participating clubs were approaching completion and officials expected to announce further details in the coming weeks.
Tatum described the project as the largest investment ever made in European basketball. The initiative will encompass youth academies, grassroots development, league operations, marketing and sports facilities.
Different visions for European basketball
The NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) formally presented their plans for the new competition last March. The proposed format would combine permanent places for selected franchises with an annual qualification route for teams based on their sporting performance.
EuroLeague, meanwhile, currently has 13 clubs with permanent shareholder status. The competition plans to expand to 24 teams and grant up to eight long-term participation licences, with announcements about new entrants expected in mid-November.
Tatum said the NBA wanted to reshape the European basketball ecosystem around sporting merit and opportunities to reach the highest level through on-court performance.
He also questioned EuroLeague’s expansion strategy, raising concerns about the financial sustainability of its clubs. According to figures cited in the discussion, around 40% of clubs holding EuroLeague licences are currently considered financially sustainable.
EuroLeague aims to make all its clubs financially sustainable by the end of the first phase of its 10-year business plan.
NBA Europe targets financial sustainability
Tatum said permanent NBA Europe teams could become profitable from their third year of operation, arguing that the proposed model would provide a faster route to financial stability.
His comments came a day after EuroLeague chief executive Chus Bueno warned that further fragmentation of the European basketball market could lead to “disaster”.
Tatum defended the NBA’s plans, predicting that the new league would distribute billions of dollars to clubs during its first decade. He said those funds would strengthen clubs’ financial positions and enable them to reinvest in basketball development.
The competing proposals point to different approaches to the future of European basketball, with the NBA emphasising sporting merit, investment and financial sustainability, while EuroLeague continues to pursue its own expansion strategy.
(Source: AMNA)
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