The NBA Owners’ Council meeting is expected to make a decision today that could change everything in European basketball. Among the items on the agenda, alongside discussions about NBA expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle, is whether a bid to acquire the EuroLeague will be submitted. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is expected to publicly address the issue later today during a press conference.
If a takeover bid is submitted, developments will unfold rapidly, and EuroLeague shareholders will have to decide on the matter at their own meeting to be held in Como on October 5. There, if a proposal is made by the NBA, it will become clear whether the EuroLeague will choose to partner with the Americans—and under what terms—or whether it will maintain its own project, which calls for an expansion to 24 teams starting next season.
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The NBA, meanwhile, is proceeding as planned with the design and implementation of its NBA Europe project. Reputable American reporter Mark Stein wrote yesterday that “… significant doubts have arisen regarding the NBA’s planned schedule for the launch of NBA Europe next year. However, league leadership remains committed to carrying out the project as originally planned, with a launch in October 2027.”
The NBA Europe project is designed to begin with a total of 16 teams, comprising 12 permanent member teams and 4 teams that will qualify annually through a playoff process. Major cities such as Paris, Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Rome, London, and Manchester, and AEK has also submitted a bid.
*photo source: AP
