Adam Silver and Andreas Zagklis announce the “next step” in the creation of “NBA Europe”

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

No dates or concrete details were announced, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver was joined by FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis in the NBA Board of Governors press conference to announce the “next step” in creating an NBA European League.

“There’s enthusiastic support from our owners”, said Silver, with Zagklis explaining that for FIBA, this was a natural choice.

Silver even presented a general outline of a 16-team league: “It’s preliminary, maybe 12 permanent spots and four to play in yearly basis, but that’s subject to change. We have ongoing discussion with existing clubs, some of them are huge global brands and we recognize that there’s a tremendous depth of interest”.

The NBA commissioner also clarified that there’s no deal with anyone yet, but there’s more than a general outline because of the huge opportunity that European basketball presents: “It’s early days. Nothing has been agreed upon yet. We are going to respect the tradition of European basketball, the tradition of open leagues. We are going to take the best things from both systems, there might be new arenas, new clubs. So many changes are happening to media, and streaming is not just a question of how you broadcast a game but a new opportunity in multiple markets. It’s a question of how we would do things differently with our experience and FIBA’s experience”.

Zagklis added: “In Europe, we have a pyramidal system of sports; there’s no NCAA, so we also need to groom talent through the clubs. This is what we did 35 years ago with the deal of FIBA and NBA to use professional players in national team competition, you have to play against the best to improve”.

“The European basketball community is proud of its seven-decade history of international club competitions and the elite talent it develops,” said Zagklis.

“Yet given the sport’s popularity and the success of national team competitions, there is untapped potential in European club basketball. A new league in Europe would combine the NBA’s business acumen with the international expertise of FIBA to attract new basketball fans and investors alike, maximize club benefits, and establish synergies for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

The EuroLeague clubs

Asked if there’s any contact with EuroLeague clubs, Zagklis explained his position on the matter: “Ι think all clubs that play in Europe are FIBA clubs, some of them play in that competition and own a piece of that competition. Our goal is to unite all those things, including our top clubs. I think that I managed to convince everyone, especially during COVID-19, that FIBA is here for everyone. And whenever we called the NBA, the NBA was there. They have the know-how, we will continue on that same path”.

Silver elaborated on how the NBA approaches the current status quo, without directly mentioning EuroLeague: “Yes, we are looking at existing infrastructure, but part of the opportunity is building more state-of-the-art basketball arenas. We are looking at industry capitals, media capitals, but also basketball hotbets. We want also to test the marketplace”.

Zagklis also mentioned the Basketball Champions League, the FIBA-operated continental competition, implying that some of those clubs may end up in the new league: “It’s our job to have contacts with our clubs; they are part of our ecosystem. Those who are playing in the BCL and are interested. We are having this conversation for our fans and for the good of our sport. This is not detrimental for the other stakeholders”.

Still, one thing that the NBA wants to bring to Europe is its business-savvy process, and that includes how the league would be regulated, with FIBA, of course, providing its own competition experience.

“Regulation is one of our roles, as the sports governing body”, said Zagklis, and Silver added: “We are not interested in operating a league that has no control. Because of our revenue sharing, we have the highest-paid players in the world.” 

As for why this announcement is made in public without a finalized league in place, Silver added something pointy: “We want to have direct conversations with existing stakeholders and not backstage discussions. We thought that would be more healthy”.