The NBA plans to create its own European league, and commissioner Adam Silver has crossed the pond to hold discussions with some of the biggest names on the continent. The Athletic’s Joe Vardon reports that Silver met with Real Madrid this week to discuss defection to the NBA’s planned league.
“NBA commissioner Adam Silver and his chief deputies met with leaders from Spanish conglomerate Real Madrid on Thursday in Paris about the possibility of the club signing on with Silver’s planned European league.”
Real Madrid is an “A” license holder in the EuroLeague and is guaranteed a spot in the competition every year. The license expires in 2026, however, and with the team having a tenuous relationship with the EuroLeague, the NBA is looking to pounce. If Real Madrid does defect, the belief is that others would follow.
“Sources on both sides of the Atlantic with knowledge of the NBA’s early talks are watching four existing EuroLeague franchises — Real Madrid, Barca Barcelona, ASVEL Basket of Villeurbanne, of which former NBA superstar Tony Parker is team president, and Fenerbahçe Istanbul — as potential defectors to Silver’s league.”
Silver has also reportedly held talks with the German basketball team Alba Berlin to join his league. He also wants a team in London and Paris.
“Silver’s new venture could include 16 teams with deep-pocketed investors, some defectors from the EuroLeague and new franchises in major markets like Paris and London. His new European league would include a mix of rights-holding franchises and slots for teams to play their way in by performing well in their national league or FIBA’s Basketball Champions League.
“The league’s funding model would be expected to include league ownership stakes for team investors, and it may take two or three years to bring his league online.”
This is quite an ambitious project. It is also interesting how the pace appears to have picked up here, and an NBA executive shared an interesting theory for that with Sports Business Journal.
“I’ll tell you, you may think I’m crazy, but I think the catalyst of this [NBA Europe] going quicker is they’re worried LeBron and Maverick are going to get the Saudis and start like a league,” the executive said. “I think without a question, they [the NBA] think it’s direct competition.”
LeBron James, Maverick Carter, and Nikola Jokic’s European agent, Misko Raznatovic, met recently, and their discussions reportedly centered around Carter’s effort to launch a global basketball league. As for why the Los Angeles Lakers superstar would want to compete against the NBA, the executive believes a lot of money would be in play.
“LeBron doesn’t give a sh**,” the executive stated. “Not if Saudi gives LeBron $200 million in cash and calls it a night.”
It will be fascinating to see how this all pans out. You’ve got some very powerful players here who have big plans for the future of basketball around the world. Only time will tell who gains the upper hand in this clash behind the scenes.
