The sports world’s startup venture is facing a shifting timeline as organizers map out a $10bn plan for a new transatlantic professional basketball competition. The launch of NBA Europe will be delayed 12 months until 2028, with a pre-qualifying competition planned for next year to find four temporary members to join the 16-team league’s inaugural season alongside 12 permanent franchises.
Backing the initiative is a massive financial commitment, with the NBA planning to invest about $10bn over 10 years in what sources have described as the sporting world’s biggest-ever startup competition. Organizers have reportedly received multiple offers for the 12 permanent slots that exceed their financial targets, with franchise valuations expected to range from $500m to more than $1bn for the London franchise alone.
Major European football clubs are heavily involved in the bidding process. Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum held discussions with senior executives from Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and Milan. Permanent franchises have been earmarked for London, Manchester, Rome, Athens, Istanbul, and Lyon, with the remaining spots filled by four qualifiers drawn from existing European basketball structures.
High-Stakes Bidding and Institutional Investment
The London franchise has attracted several competing bids exceeding $1bn. Interested parties include former Chelsea chair Todd Boehly, a consortium involving former Tottenham chair Daniel Levy alongside MSP Sports Capital, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Meanwhile, Buss Sports Capital—the US investment group that sold its 17.8% stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to Joshua Kushner—is believed to have submitted an offer for the Manchester franchise.
Despite close organizational ties, City Football Group (CFG) has not placed a bid. However, the NBA has agreed to establish a new global academy in Abu Dhabi as part of a $300m partnership. Speaking at the general assembly of European Football Clubs, Tatum noted the diverse group of suitors.
We’ve got people who are well-capitalised investors who don’t own any basketball franchise, but they want to get into basketball,
Tatum said. We’ve got existing basketball clubs in the ecosystem that have submitted bids and we have football clubs, some that have their own basketball teams today, and some that don’t and want to get involved in basketball.
Resistance From Traditional Basketball Bodies
While institutional investors and football giants have lined up to participate, the proposal continues to face hurdles from established basketball administrators. During a meeting at Lake Como, EuroLeague clubs voted to reject the NBA’s initial investment offer, choosing instead to pursue independent plans to expand their own competition from 20 to 24 teams. Despite the vote, NBA representatives maintain that discussions remain ongoing.
Our vision for basketball is to bring everybody with us – EuroLeague, the governing body, Fiba and the clubs – to revamp the European basketball scene,
Tatum said. One of the things that we’ve learned from European football is the power of the pyramid. In football every single club understands the clear pathway to play at the top level. That doesn’t exist in basketball.
NBA Europe intends to implement a hybrid model featuring 12 permanent members and four temporary entrants admitted annually. Entry routes for non-permanent participants include the top two ranked sides from the second-tier Basketball Champions League and two finalists from a separate tournament featuring Europe’s domestic champions. Under the proposed structure, the highest-ranking non-franchise club reaching the playoffs would retain its place for the subsequent season.
Broader Motives and Arena Infrastructure
Several sources indicate that Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez is particularly invested in the project, seeking to establish a semi-closed league model in Europe. Real Madrid formally withdrew from the collapsed European Super League project last year, though commercial partners continue legal challenges against football governing bodies.
Florentino has been very involved in NBA Europe,
a senior source at a EuroLeague club said. He wants it to happen quickly and is constantly asking for updates.
Infrastructure development remains a central pillar of the initiative. The NBA aims to address a shortage of top-tier indoor venues across the continent. CFG holds a 50% stake alongside Oak View Group in Manchester’s 23,000-capacity Co-op Live arena, which has been designated as a likely venue. An upcoming regular-season matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans is scheduled to take place at the facility in January.
We want to bring on partners who are going to invest in basketball development,
Tatum said. Academies, indoor arenas. When you think about all of Europe there’s probably only a handful of what I would consider world-class indoor arenas. These arenas provide an economic engine to cities, but we don’t have that in Europe. And so that is the investment that we’re looking to create.
