By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Paris Basketball entered the EuroLeague with modest goals, however after 10 Rouns in the regular season and a 7-3 record, the club is here to stay for good.
A great start doesn’t guarantee anything of course, but it’s a good step towards making the playoffs, which will lock a spot for the French club in next season’s competition.
However, even if Paris doesn’t make it, it’s safe to say that they will stay in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for long no matter what.
It’s not a secret among the European basketball community that Adidas is seeing favorably the whole Paris project – after all the club is playing in the Adidas Arena – and while that doesn’t mean absurd money to spend, Paris has officially announced a €19M budget for this season, doubling the money spent last season in the EuroCup.
So Paris is not a big spender, but also not a poor relative in the competition.
During the talks about their inclusion in the 2024-25 EuroLeague, club president David Kahn asked for a three-year license to make things easier for the whole investment.
That didn’t happen, still Paris thanks to their on-court performance seems now a no-brainer for the EuroLeague.
With a lot of things unfolding behind the scenes, it’s safe to assume that EuroLeague doesn’t have the intention to look into expansion before the summer of 2026 when the joint venture with IMG expires.
Still, Paris even if they miss the playoffs they are considered already a prime candidate for a wildcard.
With projects like Valencia and Hapoel Tel Aviv knocking on EuroLeague’s door, nothing is written in stone right now, still, clubs like ALBA Berlin and Virtus Bologna should worry much more about the future in the top European competition, compared to the Parisiens.