NBA Europe launch postponed to 2028 — The Guardian
The launch of the NBA Europe basketball league has been postponed to 2028. Sixteen teams are expected to compete in the tournament’s debut season: 12 permanent franchises and four temporary participants, which are planned to be determined based on the results of a preliminary selection next year, The Guardian reports.
The NBA plans to invest around $10 billion over ten years in the new European project. According to the publication, bids for the 12 franchises exceeded the organizers’ expectations. Franchise values are expected to start at $500 million, while the price of a London franchise could exceed $1 billion.
Cities and investors
Permanent franchises are planned to be based in London, Manchester, Rome, Athens, Istanbul and Lyon. NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum held talks last week with executives from Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Milan.
According to the publication, several bids worth more than $1 billion have been submitted for the London franchise. Among the potential investors, The Guardian names former Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly, a consortium involving former Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and MSP Sports Capital, as well as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. According to the publication’s sources, the American investment group Buss Sports Capital submitted a bid for a franchise in Manchester.
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Qualification and the EuroLeague’s position
NBA Europe is planned to be built on a hybrid model: 12 clubs will have permanent places, while four teams will enter the league through qualification each year. The qualification mechanism has yet to be finally approved. According to NBA sources, two places could go to the two best teams in the new European Basketball Champions League, which the source calls a second-tier tournament, while another two could go to the finalists of a separate competition for winners of national championships.
The highest-placed club in the playoffs at the end of the season among those without a permanent franchise will earn the right to remain in NBA Europe the following year. The other three temporary participants will return to the qualifying tournament.
At the same time, EuroLeague clubs at a meeting on Lake Como rejected the NBA’s initial investment proposal and supported their own plan to expand the tournament from 20 to 24 clubs. NBA sources said that negotiations with the EuroLeague would continue.
