Paulius Motiejunas addressed the NBA's plans to expand into Europe, stressing that basketball must come before business. The EuroLeague CEO said creating new leagues would not help the sport unless all sides work together, protect fans, and focus on the quality and sustainability of European basketball.
EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas shared his thoughts on NBA Europe plans, stressing that cooperation and protecting the game should come before any business competition.
During a World Sports Summit discussion about the NBA Europe league, EuroLeague CEO Motiejunas made it clear that he welcomes competition but does not believe basketball benefits from leagues working against each other. Instead, he called for unity and a shared vision focused on the sport itself.
“I always like the competition. Competition keeps us moving forward,” the CEO said. “I truly believe that the way forward is only together. If we form another league, whether it's with FIBA, without FIBA, it doesn't help anyone.”
Motiejunas explained that his main concern is keeping basketball healthy at every level. He warned that focusing too much on business first could damage the sport, especially at the grassroots level, and hurt the connection with fans.
“In my job, basketball comes first,” Motiejunas explained. “If we look at the business side and then try to bring basketball, I think it hurts the grassroots. It hurts the whole passion, and it hurts the product of basketball.”
Credit Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images
He added that sustainability remains a key issue in European basketball, noting that only about one-third of clubs are currently stable. While he believes that the number can grow, the CEO emphasized that the solution starts with putting the game and the fans first.
“So if we put the fan and the game first and we sit down and we see how we can make it better, that's the best path forward,” he said. “And that's how we should compete, not behind the scenes, not trying to show who's stronger.”
He also pointed to recent cooperation with the Middle East as a positive example of building bridges instead of creating divisions.
“My experience with Dubai and Abu Dhabi in general is that they share the passion of putting these bridges. “And us bringing Middle East to Europe, it's the best move of the century, I would say,” Motiejunas concluded.
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