NBA and FIBA (the International Basketball Federation) jointly announced today, Monday December 22, that they will move forward with the "exploration" of a new professional men's basketball league in Europe. We've had rumours for years, and NBA bosses have never hidden their intentions, but this is the first true official statement of the NBA Europe, even though it's still described as an "exploration", with nothing set in stone.
In today's statement, NBA said that this would be a new pan-European men's basketball league, with permanent spots as well as opportunities to qualify through merits. Every team in a FIBA-affiliated domestic league in Europe would receive a merit-based pathway to qualify on an annual basis either through FIBA's Basketball Champions League (BCL) or an end-of-season qualifying tournament.
This league would not replace the domestic leagues, as it would align its schedule with domestic league and national team schedules, allowing players to represent their club and national team year-round. However, this would likely cause problems to the EuroLeague, currently Europe's top club basketball competition, which is owned by a private company.
Teams that regularly compete at the highest level in the EuroLeague, like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray or Bayern Munich have reportedly already been contacted by NBA to join their league, in a mix of established teams and newly created teams including cities without big basketball presence like London or Manchester.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says that their conversations with various stakeholders in Europe have reinforced their belief that this can be a worthwile opportunity.
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NBA will also invest in Europe's basketball ecosystem
NBA and FIBA will continue with meetings with prospective teams and ownership groups, during the international NBA games in London and Berlin (with Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies). NBA wants to make a very appealing league while also promising to dedicate "financial support and resources to the continued development of Europe's basketball ecosystem, including domestic leagues, club team academies, and the NBA and FIBA's existing programs to develop aspiring players, coaches and referees at all levels of the game."
FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said that "the format of the league respects European sport model principles by offering any ambitious club in the continent a fair pathway to the top. The project is conceived in a way that will improve the sustainability of the entire European basketball ecosystem, including players, clubs, leagues and national federations, by generating a knock-on effect that will strongly benefit basketball fans throughout Europe."
What do you think of the proposed NBA Europe fans?