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NBA still exploring creation of a new European league, threatening EuroLeague

NBA boss Adam Silver talked again about the plans for an European NBA league.

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver's visit to Europe for the NBA Paris Games between San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers was the perfect opportunity for European outlets to know more about the prospect of an European NBA League, something that has been in talks for a while, first announced during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games last year.

Silver confirmed that NBA and FIBA (International Basketball Federation) are still in talks. No new agreements have been made, because they first want to meet with all potential teams, which currently play in EuroLeague, a competition that NBA would likely replace if the project goes through.

The NBA commissioner believes that EuroLeague doesn't maximise their commercial opportunities. "While Europe continues to develop some of the very best players in the world, many of our most recent MVPs, of course, are European, we think that the commercial opportunity has not kept pace with the growth of the game", Silver said in Paris, as picked by ESPN.

A new, standalone European NBA is in the works

What would NBA in Europe look like? It wouldn't be an expansion, but a new, independent league played between already established European teams and perhaps in the future new franchises created for the occasion.

Silver explained that NBA already runs five league: NBA, WBNA, Basketball African League, G League and the 2K video game league. However, in order to do so, Silver needs the approval of the 30 current NBA teams, and not all of them are convinced of the viability of the project, seeing that not all of the five NBA leagues have been profitable.

A decision could be made before an NBA board meeting in late March. Meanwhile, Silver is still optimistic: "We are looking very closely to see if there's an opportunity to professionalize the game to another level here, to create a larger commercial opportunity".

NBA still exploring creation of a new European league, threatening EuroLeague
NBA.com

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