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The Spurs will return to Europe next January, with two regular season games relocated to Paris on the 14th, and then to Manchester, England, on the 17th, against the New Orleans Pelicans. Was this a request from you, or a decision made by the NBA? RC Buford: We are an international program and have always been committed to growing and getting closer to our fans around the world. Playing in Paris again obviously means something to Victor, but we didn't request it. I think the League recognized the impact he had when he played in Paris during the 2024 Olympics and then at the Paris Games in January 2025. The French market is different from the US market, but we have been incredibly well served so far, both by our fans and our commercial partners. And we'll be back in Paris at the end of the month to meet people there and inaugurate a new basketball court
For those first dozen teams, the group is speaking with bidders in Athens, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; Berlin; Istanbul; London; Lyon, France; Madrid, Spain; Manchester, England; Milan; Munich; Paris; and Rome. “We’re extremely encouraged by the final bids we received for permanent franchises,” Mark Tatum, NBA deputy commissioner, said in a statement. “This will be the biggest influx of capital European basketball has ever seen, and we have clear front-runners in each of our 12 target cities, including many existing basketball and football clubs. We will now work with the NBA and FIBA Boards to finalize the long-form agreements.”
The NBA's two regular season games in Europe next January will be in Paris and Manchester and The Stein Line has learned that Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs — for obvious reasons — have been selected to headline the trip. Spurs vs. Pelicans, I'm told, is the expected pairing for the two-game series.
Silver wants to put new teams in London, Paris, Rome, and Manchester, England, backed by soccer giants and the biggest investment funds in the world (the Saudi PIF has expressed interest). Existing clubs with similar financial backing are being targeted in Barcelona and Madrid, in Milan, in Athens and Istanbul, Berlin and Munich, and Lyon, France. If Silver is (and in all likelihood, he will be) successful in bringing this new league on line, current NBA players said, overwhelmingly, they would consider, some day, playing in NBA Europe. “Yeah, it would interest me a little bit. I think that’s pretty cool,” said Charlotte rookie and Rising Star Kon Knueppel.
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“It’s very difficult to do a lot of things that you need to do to make the sport successful (in London),” Balan had told me much earlier in the day. The words seemed prescient in the moment. “And in order for it to work, the sport needs a catalyst,” Balan said. “I think the NBA and Euroleague’s interest in the U.K. market is going to be a catalyst.”
Silver, the NBA commissioner, is working to stand up a new league in Europe through the deep pockets of sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East, traditional investment firms in the U.S. and Europe, powerhouse European soccer clubs, and a lucrative media rights deal. To begin with, it will be a 16-team league, with 12 teams holding permanent licenses and the other four spots open to virtually any pro team on the continent that can win enough to qualify. The NBA is targeting London, Rome, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, Athens, Istanbul, Manchester (England) and Lyon (France) for cities with licensed, permanent teams.
There are legitimate pro teams in each of those cities already, other than Rome, but not all of those teams may apply for a license. Two high-ranking basketball officials, one with the NBA in the U.S. and another in Europe, said the NBA wants “to start with a clean slate” in London, where it could cost a new team more than $1 billion to obtain a license. “Just walking the streets here and being in the hotels, I hear from people all the time saying, ‘I’m sleep deprived following your league,’ (in the U.S.),” Silver told The Athletic during an interview in London, prior to the Memphis Grizzlies-Orlando Magic game at London’s O2 Arena.
“There are more people approaching us and saying, ‘I’d love to have the London franchise,’ and I think it’s not just because it’s such an attractive market, but because there’s no top-tier basketball team right now,” Silver continued. “So, there’s lots of groups seeing an opportunity to create a new brand here.” For the NBA, the London discussion is one of the sheer size, wealth and untapped basketball potential of the market. There are numerous potential suitors. Soccer powerhouses like Arsenal or Chelsea could create a team. The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund could do it. As could investment firms like Sixth Street.
“The NBA’s ambitions to expand into Europe represent a massive opportunity for the U.K.,” said Lisa Nandy, secretary for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in the U.K. “Franchises could deliver billions of pounds in economic growth and create jobs, but just as importantly, they would bring unforgettable moments for fans right here on home soil. We’re excited to work with the NBA as plans progress.”
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To the NBA’s clear advantage, a bidding war could be developing for an NBA Europe franchise in Manchester, England. According to British newspaper City A.M., the Manchester franchise in the region’s basketball Super League -- owned by the U.S.-based Sherwood Family Investment Office -- has joined Manchester City and Manchester United as potential bidders for a slot in the startup, which will feature 14 to 16 teams. A day after Manchester City was reportedly present at an NBA Europe symposium in London on Monday -- even though Man City has no current basketball team -- City A.M. quoted the Super League’s Manchester president Ben Pierson on Tuesday as saying the Sherwoods have been in talks with the NBA and its financial intermediary JP Morgan.
Despite Dennis Rodman’s appearances, the Bears folded at the end of the season. In his book, Nurse writes about struggling to keep the team afloat, of “sleepless nights” as he struggled to pay staff. He wrote that he felt guilty until he saw the support he gained from British fans after winning the NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, writing, “It gave me hope that they would remember the good times and forget about how it ended.” “Rodmania” proved British basketball could attract an audience. “It goes to show that with marketing and exposure, you can draw attention to the game,” Hildreth said. “I think some people thought it made a mockery of the league, but I look at it and say no publicity is bad publicity. For me personally, it was awesome because I played with Dennis Rodman.”
Jeremy Sochan on why he plays for Poland and not the UK: I'm going to be honest. I was playing for both teams. I went to Copenhagen I think with England, had a great tournament. At the same time I was playing for Poland. I had a good tournament there. You got to balance it out. And I looked at both options and we got to be honest, at the time I had way more opportunities with Poland whether it was games, training camps, testing, just exposure level to other European clubs, countries… It was on a different level at the time. It's a shame again if they were the same opportunities, what would I pick? I'm not sure. I can't tell you that. With Poland all the camps were free, the flights were free, whereas with England, it’s a struggle.
