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In March, QSI revealed it had been approached about the possibility of launching a basketball franchise in Paris and that it had expressed an interest. The approach related to the NBA’s potential expansion into Europe, under the moniker NBA Europe, and plans that have been developed under the leadership of commissioner Adam Silver. The Athletic reported in March that Silver would pitch the NBA Board of Governors with the outline of a plan to launch a new pro basketball league in Europe within the next couple of years. The prospective league had been hoping to attract 16 teams, which would include franchises in markets such as London and Paris, as well as possible defectors from the EuroLeague. Since then, there have been indications from NBA and EuroLeague executives that there may be a way to collaborate. EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas conceded to The Athletic that “it is becoming more obvious that we have to work together”, while NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said the NBA intends to be the “operator” of “the top tier league in Europe.”
More than two months after commissioner Adam Silver announced that the NBA is looking into the idea, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told The Athletic that the NBA continues to have discussions with potential stakeholders in the league. It has spoken with several investment banks, aside from The Raine Group, which has been working with the NBA since last year, about coming on as financial advisors before the NBA goes to market and begins to sell equity stakes in its new European league franchises.
Alba Berlin, one of the top teams in Germany, announced that it would leave the EuroLeague, where it played under a wild-card entry, to join FIBA’s Basketball Champions League. That move has been viewed as laying the groundwork to eventually join the NBA’s future league. Tatum said it was a sign that Alba Berlin bought “into this vision of a revamped top-tier league in Europe that is going to service fans, the millions of basketball fans in Europe that currently aren’t serviced today.”
Speaking about creating top-tier clubs, especially in the UK, Mark Tatum added that in the preseason, the NBA Europe Live tour format may return, with NBA clubs playing preseason games against European teams. “If we operate a top-tier competition in Europe, then we will have a big incentive to bring this back”, he clarified. Once more, Tatum wasn’t negative about Eastern European clubs joining the project, even if he implied that they might fight for their qualification via the Basketball Champions League: “There’s a role in our league for teams from Eastern Europe. We want clubs from Serbia, Israel, Turkey, and Greece”.
Mark Tatum: “In the new top-tier league, we might get the two top teams from the Basketball Champions League to qualify, and a tournament for the rest of the open spots. And the top two teams of the new league in the future may end up playing in the NBA Cup. And when we have supersonic travel down the road, we might get a European division. So all this is very exciting”.
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Christos Tsaltas: AEK BC has invited the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, the NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum and each and every NBA Board Member and executive for the 2025 BCL Final 4 (09-11/05), according to @athletiko_gr source. NBA members will attend in Athens. #BasketballCL #NBA #aekbc
The basketball business in Europe is far from living up to its potential, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum told Reuters, as the league explores launching a new operation in the continent to take advantage of the sport's skyrocketing popularity. Commissioner Adam Silver said last month that it was looking into launching NBA Europe with world basketball body FIBA as its partner, with the initial plan to have a 16-team league. The league is intended to harness the explosive popularity of the sport in the continent, where Tatum said basketball is second only to soccer, as well as the deep pool of talent, with roughly 15% of all NBA players today from Europe. "There's an opportunity to continue to accelerate the growth of basketball in Europe and to close the gap between the affinity for the game of basketball and the commercial viability of basketball in that market as well," he told Reuters.
"Our goal is not to replace the Euroleague. Our goal is to create a commercially viable league that features high quality on-court competition and respects the rich tradition of European basketball. And we think that that will better serve fans and players on the continent," Tatum said. "We've tried for years to bring all of the relevant stakeholders together and we remain open to doing so."
Mark Tatum: 'The lack of world-class basketball facilities in Europe is striking relative to the affinity there'
Tatum pointed to the lack of permanent Euroleague teams in key cities including London, Paris, Berlin and Rome, and said the investment that comes with a new league would help bring sorely needed basketball infrastructure to the region. "The lack of world-class basketball facilities in Europe is striking relative to the affinity there," Tatum said. "There are big markets in Europe that aren't being serviced today, where there are millions of basketball fans that aren't being serviced."
The offer was rejected. NBA, as it’s now proven beyond any doubt, was eager to enter the European market, and when Adam Silver says that nothing yet is a done deal, essentially he is extending an invitation to all stakeholders, including the EuroLeague, but obviously under his conditions. That was evident just a few days ago when, according to Eurohoops sources, the last meeting between FIBA, EuroLeague, and the NBA was held with no results. This time, the NBA was not represented by Silver or by deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, who is expected to play a key role in the European project since he is also the representative of the NBA in the FIBA central board. Once more, all sides agreed to disagree, and the schism was confirmed.
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Tony Parker: 'We either reach an agreement or the NBA comes alone'
Tony Parker has emerged as a bridge in discussions, behind a lasting relationship with the NBA and his current status as team president of a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague club. “I had a meeting with Adam Silver and Mark Tatum,” he confirmed extending talks with the commissioner and deputy commissioner of the NBA, leading into the latest contact with Euroleague Basketball, “The idea was to talk about European basketball and bring everyone back to the table, the NBA, EuroLeague, and FIBA.” “It is clear. We either reach an agreement or the NBA comes alone. We need to focus on a merger or a partnership,” Parker shared his view on possible outcomes.
A groundbreaking agreement between involved parties would generate additional marketing value for clubs based in the Old Continent, according to the ASVEL president. “We would like to participate, but the goal is to join forces to create something never seen before while ensuring that no historic European club is left behind,” Parker also relayed intentions to respect the ecosystem in place. Over recent months, the NBA confirmed possible plans to expand the league into Europe.
The NBA have yet to confirm anything official, although the deputy commissioner Mark Tatum this week revealed that he had met London mayor Sadiq Khan about the prospect of more games in the city, which hosted multiple regular season matches between 2011 and 2019.
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