NBA Europe launch moves to 2028 as EuroLeague clubs reject investment offer

NBA Europe is now planned to begin in 2028, a year later than previously envisaged, with a qualifying competition intended for next year, according to reporting by Matt Hughes in the Guardian. The proposed league would bring together 16 teams: 12 permanent franchises and four clubs qualifying through European basketball competitions.

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The report says the NBA plans to invest about $10 billion over a decade in the competition. Deputy commissioner Mark Tatum held talks last week with senior executives from Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Milan. The NBA has not committed publicly to a timetable for naming franchise owners, although the Guardian reports that it hopes to announce them this year.

Tatum told the European Football Clubs general assembly that bids had come from several types of prospective owner. These included investors without an existing basketball franchise, established basketball clubs and football clubs, both with and without their own basketball teams. He also described investment in basketball development, academies and indoor arenas as an important part of what the NBA wants from its partners.

The project nevertheless faces opposition within the existing European game. At a meeting at Lake Como this week, EuroLeague clubs voted against the NBA's initial investment offer, the Guardian reported. Instead, they backed their own plans to increase the competition from 20 clubs to 24. NBA sources told the newspaper that discussions would continue despite that decision.

Access to the proposed league remains a significant unfinished element. According to NBA sources cited in the report, two places would go to leading teams from a second-tier Basketball Champions League and two to finalists in a separate competition involving domestic champions. The promotion arrangements have not been confirmed. Another proposed provision would allow the highest-ranked non-franchise playoff participant to retain its place for the following season, with the other three returning to qualifying.

Tatum said the NBA wanted to work with EuroLeague, Fiba and clubs to reshape European basketball, pointing to European football's established route from domestic competition to the highest level. His comments set out a cooperative ambition, but the rejected investment offer and unresolved qualification rules leave important parts of the planned competition unsettled.