Unicaja Malaga president Antonio Jesus Lopez Nieto revealed that the 12 permanent NBA Europe franchises could reportedly pay $500M over 10 years.
Unicaja Malaga president Antonio Jesus Lopez Nieto has shared his thoughts on the upcoming NBA Europe competition, scheduled to begin as early as October 2027.
While the Spanish club does not aim to become one of the permanent franchises, Lopez Nieto said the team will pursue one of the merit-based spots through domestic league performance or the Basketball Champions League.
“We are never going to be an NBA franchise. Those franchises will be in very large cities, which is their idea, cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Istanbul, London, Paris…” Lopez Nieto explained per Gigantes.
“Those would be the 12 permanent franchises, which, according to the reports, would have to pay roughly 500 million over 10 years with a TV contract. Then there are 4 spots where the rest of us, teams competing in the Basketball Champions League or national leagues, might be able to qualify each season and take one of those 4 positions.”
Credit Baloncesto Unicaja
Nieto also discussed the revenue differences and the challenges of European basketball’s current structure.
“Our goal, as they say—though I don’t know all the rules—is that, unlike the EuroLeague, if we play in the NBA one year, the revenues would be similar or close to what franchise owners get. That doesn’t happen in the EuroLeague,” he said.
He expressed concerns about the multiple European competitions and the strain on players and fans.
“I don’t know who will leave or what moves will happen. What I do think is that it’s a mistake for both to coexist. There should be clear, solid agreements so that basketball can organize its structure, which is currently the most disorganized of all sports. There can’t be 4 or 5 European competitions. Fans don’t understand, interests are divided, players are overloaded with games, injuries happen frequently. And arenas, with so many matches, it’s very hard to get people to attend. Economically, it’s not sustainable; it’s crazy.”
“It’s a problem of egos, and all parties should sit down and use common sense to create a logical system with one main competition that has financial control and real returns. A second strong competition could then allow entry to that NBA Europe or EuroLeague, or whatever it ends up being called. That would be logical and create a more consistent European basketball map,” he concluded.
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