NBA Commissioner gives biggest update yet on expansion into Europe

The world of professional basketball could soon look very different, with the NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) moving ahead on an ambitious project to establish a new men’s professional league in Europe. The proposal, pushed on all fronts by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, has stirred enthusiasm among - ahem - investors, highlighting the league’s growing global influence.

Speaking ahead of the Berlin-based game between Memphis and Orlando, Silver reiterated that talks with FIBA and European stakeholders are ongoing, while reminding everyone that they are still an early-stage rather than an imminent launch.

“We’re the fastest-growing sport right now in this country,” Silver claimed. “There’s, in essence, a golden era, I would say, of the sport. ... The 1936 Olympics here in Berlin, that’s when basketball was first introduced into the Olympic movement. In fact, James Naismith came here to Berlin for those games and purportedly tossed up the ball for the opening tip of the Games. So, there is that long history here.”

How would NBA Europe work?

The concept under discussion would create a continent-wide league featuring a mix of permanent franchises and teams that qualify each year through performance. Early planning suggests around 16 teams could take part, with potential avenues for sides from existing domestic leagues to earn their place in the elite.

“I would just say we continue to be enormously excited about it,” Silver said about the idea of NBA Europe. “We’ve been meeting with clubs that are interested in participating in our league. We’ve been in discussions with other potential stakeholders, including media companies that would like to cover it, potential media partners and traditional sponsors who want to work with us on the league. We’re looking at the opportunity to grow the arena infrastructure, not just here in Germany but throughout the continent. It’s something that we’re enormously excited about.”

Major European cities are already being mentioned as potential homes for these teams. London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Berlin and Munich have all been floated as likely markets, reflecting both basketball’s popularity in those regions and the strong commercial case for expansion.

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“I’m sure you can see the bags under my eyes,” Silver admitted. “But we love hard work at the NBA.”

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