Adam Silver is not backing away from the NBA’s European ambitions, and despite the latest resistance from EuroLeague clubs, the commissioner remains convinced the two sides will eventually find common ground.
Speaking to CNBC in Macao during the NBA China Games, Silver characterized the current situation as a negotiation rather than a breakdown in relations.
“It’s like any negotiation. It’s ongoing,” Silver said. “I think it’s too extreme to say it’s a rough patch. We’ve been going back and forth with EuroLeague.”
Silver also openly acknowledged EuroLeague’s position at the top of the existing European club structure.
“They’re the existing pan-regional league right now in Europe,” he said. “On top of that, there are leagues in every country. It’s hard to believe there are 1,200 professional clubs in Europe.
So, EuroLeague is the top-tier competition right now. We’re going forward with what we’re calling NBA Europe, and we’re hoping we’ll work something out with the EuroLeague. I think we will.”
His confidence comes only days after EuroLeague’s 13 shareholder clubs rejected the NBA’s latest proposal for cooperation. The decision was not considered a complete end to negotiations, however. EuroLeague stakeholders have left the door open to further discussions, and reports indicate they are preparing to return with a counterproposal.
The NBA, meanwhile, is prepared to move ahead regardless.
When Silver was asked directly whether NBA Europe would launch even without an agreement with EuroLeague, his response was unequivocal.
“Yes,” he said, before immediately adding: “But we’re going to get something worked out with them.”
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The proposed competition is being developed by the NBA in cooperation with FIBA and is expected to feature 16 teams, including a group of permanent franchises alongside spots that can be earned through sporting qualification. The NBA and FIBA have continued planning the project even after EuroLeague rejected the latest offer.
Interest from prospective owners also appears substantial. Silver said potential investors include existing basketball clubs, major European soccer brands and groups interested in creating entirely new franchises. He said bids have already reached “many hundreds of millions of dollars,” with markets such as London, Paris, Madrid and Munich viewed as particularly attractive.
That creates an unusual power struggle in European basketball. EuroLeague already possesses the continent’s strongest established clubs, history and competition structure. The NBA brings global commercial power, enormous financial resources and a plan to build a new European product from the ground up.
For Silver, however, those two realities do not necessarily have to produce rival leagues.
The NBA is making clear that NBA Europe is going forward. What remains undecided is whether EuroLeague ultimately becomes part of it, works alongside it or competes directly against it.
Despite the current disagreement, Silver seems convinced the first outcome is still possible.
“I think we will,” he said.
For European basketball, the next round of negotiations could determine far more than the details of one agreement. It could help define the structure of the continent’s top level for decades to come.
