Adam Silver: NBA Europe remains on track to start in the 2027/28 season
NBA Europe, the project for a new professional men's basketball league in Europe being jointly developed by the NBA and FIBA, is expected to launch next year if the current plans are carried out at the planned pace. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on June 4, 2026, ahead of the start of the NBA Finals, that the new European league is "on schedule" and that the league's expectation is to begin in the 2027/28 season, Sky Sports reported. Silver's statement is important because, for the first time in the project's more recent phase, it confirms that the NBA is no longer limiting itself only to general market research, but is entering a period of concrete applications and selection of participants. According to the same report, final bids from potential franchises are expected to be submitted by the end of June 2026, while announcements about teams could follow later in the year, possibly in the autumn. However, the NBA and FIBA have so far not officially confirmed a final list of cities, ownership groups or clubs that are expected to be part of the opening season.
A project that has moved from the idea phase into market testing
The NBA and FIBA publicly announced on March 27, 2025, that they were jointly exploring the creation of a new professional men's league in Europe, stating that the goal was to bring top-level club basketball closer to a larger number of fans and accelerate the development of the game on the continent. In that announcement, the NBA and FIBA emphasized that the new league would fit into the existing European basketball system, with clubs continuing to compete in their national championships as well. This sent the message that the project is not being conceived as a direct replacement for domestic competitions, but as a new international level that should combine the NBA's business model with European sporting tradition. According to the official NBA and FIBA statement from December 2025, the organizers were supposed to begin talks with potential teams and ownership groups in January 2026. At that stage, the project moved from general analysis toward collecting interest and possible offers from investors, clubs, commercial partners and arena operators.
In his new statement, Silver confirmed that there is broad interest in participating, but key details are still not publicly settled. According to Sky Sports, the NBA Commissioner said that record interest had been recorded and that the NBA continues to work alongside FIBA as the global basketball federation. Such wording suggests that the project still depends on agreements that are not only sporting, but also financial, regulatory and infrastructural. Unlike a classic NBA expansion in North America, where the discussion usually concerns new clubs within a single league, the European model has to fit into a network of national leagues, European cups, the FIBA calendar and existing club contracts. For that reason, the question of the league's launch is connected not only with the choice of cities and owners, but also with the relationship toward EuroLeague Basketball, national federations and existing elite clubs.
The planned format has not yet been finally confirmed
Official NBA and FIBA announcements so far confirm several basic principles, but not all competitive details. According to the NBA statement from December 2025, the new league should have permanent places, but at the same time offer an annual qualification path for clubs from FIBA's system of domestic leagues. That path, according to the same statement, could be achieved through the FIBA Basketball Champions League or through a final qualifying tournament. The organizers also stated that the schedule should be aligned with national leagues and national-team windows, so that players can play for clubs and national teams throughout the year. This is particularly important in the European context, where conflicts between the club and national-team calendars have for years been one of the most sensitive issues.
In public appearances and media reports, a model with 16 teams is most often mentioned, part of which would have permanent status, while another part would qualify through sporting results. Sky Sports, citing statements by NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, reported that the discussion is about a competition with 16 clubs and a target launch in October 2027. Earlier reports about statements by George Aivazoglou, the NBA's managing director for Europe and the Middle East, also pointed to a semi-open format with a combination of permanent places and places earned through results. Since the NBA and FIBA have not published a final rulebook, the number of teams, the status of permanent participants and the exact qualification criteria should be considered plans under development, not concluded rules. For European clubs, the most important question will be whether they can participate without leaving national championships and what obligations the new league would impose regarding budgets, arenas, travel and commercial rights.
London and Manchester among the markets under scrutiny
According to Sky Sports, London and Manchester are among the markets in focus for a possible NBA Europe franchise. Such interest fits into the broader pattern of NBA activity in the United Kingdom, where the league has been organizing regular-season games and commercial events for years. The NBA officially announced that the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs will play regular-season games on January 14, 2027, at the Accor Arena in Paris and on January 17, 2027, at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester. According to the NBA Communications release, the game in Manchester will be the first NBA regular-season game in that city, while the meeting in Paris will be the sixth NBA regular-season game in the French capital. These games are not the same as the new European league, but they show that the NBA continues to build an audience, business contacts and operational experience in key European markets.
The NBA had already announced a multi-year series of regular-season games in Europe, including Berlin, London, Manchester and Paris. In January 2026, the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic played in Berlin and London, and the NBA later announced that those games generated strong audience engagement and content consumption. Such events serve as a test for the interest of spectators, sponsors and local partners, but also as a way to keep the NBA brand present in the European sporting calendar. In the context of NBA Europe, it is especially important that Manchester and London are mentioned not only as hosts of individual games, but also as possible long-term markets for new teams. Still, there is no official confirmation that any of those cities will receive a franchise, nor has it been confirmed who would be the owner or operator of such a club.
The relationship with EuroLeague remains the key open question
The biggest political and sporting unknown of the project remains the relationship toward EuroLeague Basketball, the organization that manages the strongest existing club competition in Europe. EuroLeague has officially been expanded to 20 clubs for the 2025/26 season, and among the participants are Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Fenerbahce, Anadolu Efes, Bayern Munich, Milan, Partizan, Crvena zvezda, Žalgiris and other important European clubs. According to Euroleague Basketball's announcement, the expansion is connected with the long-term development of the competition, club stability and financial rules that are being introduced gradually through to the 2027/28 season. This means that the existing EuroLeague is not standing still while the NBA and FIBA develop their project. On the contrary, it too is trying to strengthen its structure precisely in the period in which the question of a new European order is opening up.
On April 28, 2026, FIBA announced that representatives of FIBA, the NBA and Euroleague Basketball had met at FIBA headquarters in Mies, Switzerland, and discussed the future of European basketball and possibilities for cooperation. That brief joint statement said that the talks were constructive and that all three sides agreed to continue the dialogue in the following weeks. That wording does not mean that an agreement has been reached, but it shows that the three key actors are ready at least to talk about possible coordination. For NBA Europe, this is important because a new league without cooperation or at least understanding with EuroLeague could create additional market fragmentation, while an agreement could open space for a joint model, a transitional period or a division of roles. Silver had previously, according to media reports, stressed that the best outcome for European basketball would be development in cooperation with the existing infrastructure, but the final form of such cooperation has not been officially confirmed.
The European model requires a different approach from American franchise logic
One of the main challenges for NBA Europe will be reconciling two different sporting models. The NBA is built on a closed franchise system, joint management of commercial rights, a salary cap, a draft and a centralized calendar. European basketball, although it already has long-term licences and invitations in the highest competitions, still rests on national leagues, clubs with long local traditions, sporting promotion and relegation, and the important role of national federations. The NBA and FIBA therefore particularly emphasize in their official announcements a meritocratic path toward the new league, which is an attempt not to present the project only as an American closed system transferred onto European soil. In practice, however, the balance between permanent places and qualification places will determine how acceptable the league will be to the wider European basketball public.
The financial part of the project is also open. The NBA has not officially announced the amounts of entry fees, franchise values, club budgets or the revenue distribution model. According to the available information, talks with investors, clubs, ownership groups and arenas are a key part of the current phase. For cities and clubs considering entry, this means that the decision will not be only a sporting one, but also a long-term business obligation. Potential teams will have to prove that they have stable financing, a suitable arena, commercial reach and the ability to attract an audience in a calendar that is already dense in Europe. For the NBA and FIBA, meanwhile, the success of the project will depend on whether they can create a competition that is sufficiently recognizable globally, but at the same time sufficiently rooted locally.
Why the NBA is so interested in European basketball
Europe has for decades been one of the most important sources of basketball talent for the NBA. According to data the NBA cites in its communications materials, at the start of the 2025/26 season there were a record 135 international players from 43 countries on NBA rosters, and among the league's biggest stars in recent years have also been players developed in the European system. That sporting success, however, has not been fully reflected in the value of European club basketball on the global market. In their announcements, the NBA and FIBA emphasized that they see untapped potential in European club basketball, especially in relation to the popularity of national-team competitions and the deep fan culture in numerous cities. The new league is therefore presented as an attempt to increase the commercial value of the club product, strengthen player development and attract new investment.
Such a goal also carries risks. European basketball is not a single market, but a collection of different languages, media contracts, legal frameworks, sporting traditions and fan expectations. In some countries, basketball has a strong club and national-team base, while in others the market is larger commercially than it is developed sportingly. NBA Europe, if it comes to life, would have to simultaneously attract major cities, existing basketball giants and new investors in environments that perhaps do not have a top-level club, but do have strong commercial potential. That is exactly where the sensitivity of the project lies: relying too much on new markets could alienate the traditional basketball audience, while relying too much on existing clubs could lead to conflicts with EuroLeague and domestic competitions.
The next months could determine the league's real shape
Silver's latest statement shows that the NBA considers the project mature enough for the public highlighting of a timeline. If final bids are indeed collected by the end of June 2026, the next logical step will be an assessment of markets, ownership groups, arenas, financial obligations and relationships with existing clubs. According to Sky Sports, announcements about teams could be expected later in 2026, but that does not mean that all operational details will be known immediately. In projects of this size, cities or owners are often confirmed first, and only then the competition rulebook, television rights, sponsorship model and calendar. For European clubs and national leagues, the most important thing will therefore be whether the NBA and FIBA offer a model that enables growth, rather than a loss of control over domestic competitions.
According to the information currently available, NBA Europe remains planned for the 2027/28 season, with an emphasis on cooperation between the NBA and FIBA, an open qualification path and the possible involvement of major European markets. It has not been officially confirmed which 12, 16 or possibly another number of teams will participate, nor has it been confirmed whether existing EuroLeague clubs will enter the project or remain exclusively in the current system. What is clear, however, is that the NBA is no longer talking about Europe only as a place for occasional regular-season games. From Silver's statements and the official announcements of the NBA, FIBA and Euroleague Basketball, it follows that 2026 is turning into a key year for negotiations on the new architecture of European club basketball. The outcome of those negotiations could determine whether NBA Europe will be a supplement to the existing system, its competitor, or the beginning of a broader agreement on a joint continental league.
Sources:
- Sky Sports - report on Adam Silver's statement that NBA Europe is on track to start in the 2027/28 season and on the possible timeframe for team announcements (link)
- NBA.com - official NBA and FIBA announcement from March 2025 on exploring a new professional men's basketball league in Europe (link)
- NBA.com - official announcement from December 2025 on talks with potential teams and ownership groups and on the annual qualification path through the FIBA system (link)
- FIBA - official statement on the meeting of representatives of FIBA, the NBA and Euroleague Basketball in Mies on April 28, 2026 (link)
- NBA Communications - official announcement on the games of the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs in Paris and Manchester in January 2027 (link)
- Euroleague Basketball - official confirmation of participants, expansion and calendars of the EuroLeague and EuroCup for the 2025/26 season (link)