Jordi Bertomeu criticized the NBA's plan for the European basketball market, expressing his concerns about the terms under which the new competition is being presented and the potential consequences for the future of European basketball.

The former EuroLeague powerhouse spoke on the show “Tu diras” on RAC1 radio and argued that, given the current situation, it is difficult to identify any positive aspects for European basketball. As he noted, his past contacts with the NBA concerned cooperation between the two sides, as they maintained good relations and had jointly implemented various initiatives.

Bertomeu placed particular emphasis on the autonomy clubs have had in making decisions regarding their own competitions over the past 26 years. He acknowledged that there had been both successes and mistakes, but emphasized that the clubs retained ownership of the competition and determined how it operated.

Here is what he said in detail:

“The discussions I had with the NBA—because we maintained good relations and had done many things together—focused on collaboration. Given the terms under which the plan is now being presented, it is concerning. From what we’re seeing, it’s hard to see anything positive for European basketball

. For the past 26 years, the clubs have been deciding their own future. There have been successes and mistakes—including our own, as those of us who ran the competition—but the clubs were the owners and the ones who decided how their competition would operate.

The NBA’s proposal clearly puts an end to that and takes us back to the beginning, to square one. Now it’s called the NBA; before, it was called FIBA. But ultimately, the clubs will once again do whatever someone else tells them to do. This worries me, and I believe it’s a very significant step backward.

The fact that Barcelona, Olympiacos, or Real Madrid have to pay to compete in something they themselves have built doesn’t seem either logical or reasonable to me. What I find absolutely unacceptable is that, in order to allow this to happen, they will receive an amount equivalent to one-tenth of what they will subsequently have to pay.”

*photo source: euroleaguebasketball.net