After reports pointing out that the EuroLeague rejected the NBA’s initial merger proposal, the NBA and FIBA issued a joint statement on Thursday confirming that they still intend to move forward with their plans for the NBA in Europe, whether or not they have a deal with the EuroLeague.
“A partnership between EuroLeague, FIBA and the NBA to unite the European basketball ecosystem would unlock the huge potential of the game across Europe for the benefit of clubs, players and, most importantly, fans.” the statement says (Link to Twitter via Sportico’s Scott Soshnik). “The NBA and FIBA remain committed to moving forward with a new professional men’s league in Europe and helping to build a stronger and more sustainable basketball ecosystem with partners who share our vision for growth, opportunities and core principles of the European sports model.”
While the report confirms that an agreement with EuroLeague is not a prerequisite for the NBA to create its own European league, several reports this week claimed that the door is still open for the NBA and EuroLeague to continue negotiations. EuroLeague shareholders were not interested in the NBA’s first bid, but several of the league’s 13 permanent member teams are believed to be interested in becoming part of NBA Europe and the EuroLeague said they are investigating counter offer.
EuroLeague shareholders believe that the NBA’s offer underestimated the value of EuroLeague, sources said ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. According to Windhorst, Barcelona – one of the regular Euroleague clubs – said this week that both the team and the league would be open to a modified offer from the NBA.
While the NBA has received bids from many non-EuroLeague clubs and markets, it remains unclear whether the new league will be able to meet its planned fall 2027 launch date without EuroLeague cooperation. There have been recent speculations that NBA Europe’s debut could be delayed until the fall of 2028 as the league builds the necessary infrastructure.
As Windhorst points out, the EuroLeague was originally created in 2001 after a pair of rival European leagues – the FIBA Supraleague and the ULEB Euroleague – were both active during the 2000/01 season.