Tony Parker’s ASVEL has secured its future for the 2025–26 season thanks to a €3 million investment from a Cholet shareholder, covering losses linked to unpaid sponsorships. The club remains under payroll restrictions, with NBA Europe seen as a possible long-term solution.
Credit: Eurasia Sport Images
Thanks to an emergency financial contribution from a shareholder based in Cholet, Tony Parker’s ASVEL has secured its participation in the 2025–2026 Betclic ELITE season, staving off potential administrative relegation.
The club's survival was confirmed by Patrick Hianasy, president of the DNCCG—the French basketball league’s financial oversight body—in an interview with Le Progrès.
The €3 million investment, made by Gilles Morihain, a shareholder of Cholet Basket, was pivotal in reassuring the league after a tumultuous season that left ASVEL facing a €12 million deficit. That shortfall, Hianasy clarified, was largely due to unpaid sponsorship obligations from Skweek, a streaming platform owned by FEDCOM Media.
“The club was a victim in this story,” Hianasy said, while also questioning ASVEL’s leadership decisions. “I’m not targeting Mr. Parker at all, but I wonder if there wasn’t some naivety in signing this deal.”
Crisis Rooted in Failed Sponsorship Deal
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ASVEL had signed a lucrative €7 million-per-year deal with Skweek in 2023, only to see it amended down to €2.9 million annually. Even that reduced figure was not fully honored, placing the club in serious financial jeopardy by the end of the 2024–2025 season.
The DNCCG stepped in to review the club’s financial standing. Without the last-minute capital infusion, ASVEL risked demotion or sanctions, highlighting how even France’s most prominent basketball team can be deeply vulnerable to sponsorship volatility.
“Tony Parker is responsible for signing the deal,” Hianasy acknowledged, “but he cannot be held responsible for Skweek failing to honor it.”
Financial Oversight Continues: Payroll Still Capped
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While ASVEL avoided punishment, it's not entirely out of the woods. The DNCCG has continued to impose restrictions on the club, including a cap on player salaries for the upcoming season. The club's approved overall budget is €18 million, with a gross player payroll limit of €5.1 million—down slightly from €5.6 million the previous year.
This measure reflects the DNCCG’s cautious stance, ensuring that the club does not repeat past financial missteps, especially as it navigates a challenging sponsorship and broadcast environment.
NBA Europe: A Path Forward or Risky Gamble?
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Looking to the future, Tony Parker remains optimistic. The ASVEL president and former NBA All-Star is heavily involved in discussions around the creation of NBA Europe, a long-rumored initiative that would bring NBA-style operations to the continent in partnership with EuroLeague and FIBA.
Parker believes this vision could offer ASVEL not just financial security, but a transformational position within a revamped European basketball ecosystem. “We’re all investing with NBA Europe in mind,” he told L’Equipe earlier this year.
However, Hianasy is more cautious, noting the regulatory and cultural complexity of operating across European countries, unlike the more centralized American market.
“It’s a gamble,” he said. “Tony Parker is an entrepreneur, and entrepreneurs take risks. But Europe is a mosaic of countries, and the NBA model won’t copy-paste easily.”
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