The NBA is targeting October 2027 as a potential launch date for the new Europe-based league that it and FIBA have been working to make happen, a league official said Friday.
NBA Europe managing director George Aivazoglou, speaking at a conference in Milan, said the first season of the new league might be described as “a semi-opening,” indicating that not all of the slots in the planned 16-team league could be allocated at that time.
The 16-team model calls for 12 permanent franchises, Aivazoglou said. He listed current target countries as Britain (with the potential host cities there being London and Manchester), France (Paris and Lyon), Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), Italy (Rome and Milan), Germany (Munich and Berlin), Greece (Athens) and Turkey (Istanbul). No deals with any city or club have been formally announced by the NBA at this point.
The article does not explain why the NBA Europe should exist. What does this new league offer not currently provided by European leagues?
Are they going to try to have NBA level salaries, to attract NBA level players, and have high skill games? Are they going to have regular season games between NBA North America and Europe and a promise that the games will be competitive (or as competitive as a game between a Western Conference championship contender and an Eastern Conference lottery tank)?
My guess based on the limited info we’ve seen so far would be no to pretty much all of those.
Seems like they’re just trying to create an NBA owned Euroleague but maybe with the worst ideas from the attempt at a super league in soccer (permanent teams, etc.)
Guessing they’re hoping the NBA branding will give it draw, if they’re smart they will invest a bit and have better salaries than current European leagues cause I agree what else does this provide that isn’t already available?
Can’t really see games with NBA teams, given the travel it would involve I feel like the players and teams shoot that down pretty quick. During season it would be a huge scheduling challenge and off season players want to relax.
Isn’t this a bad time to start while Europeans seek independence from the US?
I’m not sure how much that plays in given sports often seem to exist outside stuff like that but overall what does this offer that current leagues don’t unless they’re going to do something that actually involves NBA teams or players which I don’t really see working out.
They say they will have teams in actual basketball cities but not the teams already playing… it looks like ok on paper but terrible irl
