By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Since the late, great David Stern, the European expansion of the NBA seemed like a white whale.
However, after years of waiting, commissioner Adam Silver spent the past few months of 2024 dropping initial hints about the NBA’s interest in Europe, which ended up being recently confirmed as a European expansion, and 2025 is shaping to be the year in which the dream finally becomes a reality.
Since September, the talk all around Europe behind the scenes has been the NBA expansion. The core of the EuroLeague clubs have already decided on their path for the future, agreeing in principle on one more decade of cooperation; however, the devil is in the details.
Per Eurohoops sources, one club currently stealing the EuroLeague show, Paris Basketball is among the top NBA targets in Europe, and Real Madrid is also in contact with the US League.
The Paris connection
With the annual NBA Paris game being the epicenter of the league’s activity in Europe, and Paris Basketball turning heads in their maiden EuroLeague season, but having just a yearly EuroLeague license, no real explanation of the possible collaboration is needed.
Paris is not among the 13 core EuroLeague teams, has an American owner, and is run by former Timberwolves GM David Kahn who went recently on the record to announce that “in two years, the NBA will have a concrete commitment in Europe”.
Per Eurohoops sources, all the scenarios about the NBA expansion include Paris and more specifically Paris Basketball, a new project that is still shaping and can be an anchor to the NBA project.
After all the NBA is interested in cities as markets and that’s why Milan, London, and Berlin are considering priorities, even if that doesn’t include necessarily the Lions and ALBA.
The EuroLeague powerhouses
While the NBA would love to build something from scratch and have total control, it’s obvious that in Europe including the top brands in the project will help it right away to be established.
The Spanish report about Real Madrid, Fenerbahce, and Panathinaikos being contacted already by the NBA has been denied to Eurohoops by Fenerbahce and Panathinaikos, but not by Real Madrid.
According to multiple sources, Madrid which has a special relationship with the NBA for a variety of reasons, is the European powerhouse more willing to listen to what the NBA presents and doesn’t exclude anything.
Of course, it makes sense for the NBA to talk with other EuroLeague teams too, considering the size of the city they represent, aka their fan base, their brand, and their arena. That automatically creates issues for some clubs, like Barcelona for example, because of their home gyms and makes others more desirable additions.
The Middle East and Jordi Bertomeu
Since the NBA is valuing the European and Middle East markets as a whole, don’t be surprised if the project includes Israeli and Arab teams too.
After all, the title of recently promoted Greek NBA executive George Aivazoglou is managing director of NBA Europe and the Middle East, and he is one of the persons who will be pivotal in the whole project.
Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Ra ‘anana owners have NBA connections – that’s why Ra ‘anana is playing prep games with NBA teams despite currently taking part in the Israeli second division – however, the most prominent connection right now belongs to Hapoel Jerusalem, owned by Matan Adelson, whose family also owns the Dallas Mavericks.
Another club with potential is Dubai BC, which has high ambitions and a great arena plus a solid performance on the court in the ABA League, and is currently third in the standings.
And here comes the even more peculiar part. Former EuroLeague CEO Jordi Bertomeu was present in a recent game of Hapoel Jerusalem, being invited by the club, and also he traveled to Abu Dhabi for the pre-season NBA games.
It’s unclear if he plays any role in the current talks between all interested parties, however, his presence might not be coincidental.
The format
So is the NBA with FIBA’s blessing aiming to create a rival league to the EuroLeague? In a recent interview with Eurohoops, Milan’s coach Ettore Messina expressed that fear and said that he would not like to go back to 2000, when EuroLeague had a rival league in FIBA’s Suproleague, a project that lasted only one season.
While the format of the “European division” of the NBA is not decided and many ideas are in play, per Eurohoops sources there’s an option on the table that permits the NBA and the EuroLeague to co-exist and even to EuroLeague teams to be part of the NBA project.
At this point, it’s just a what if, but for starters, the games of NBA Europe could be essentially pre-season games with NBA teams coming to Europe also and wrapping everything up before the start of the EuroLeague season with the prize of the best European team getting a spot in the knockout stage of the NBA Cup.
Of course, nothing is set in stone and only one thing is certain: 2025 is going to be one of the most interesting years in the recent history of European basketball.