Adam Silver said he has left the EuroLeague's legal letters to his lawyers and emphasized that the NBA sees its Europe project as an opportunity to grow basketball beyond the EuroLeague's current fan base.
Expansion has long been on the minds of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the league office, and now they are exploring a new project in Europe in partnership with FIBA.
But the EuroLeague is not staying silent. According to Eurohoops, the EuroLeague has formally informed the NBA that legal action may be pursued if the US organization begins discussions with clubs already committed to the EuroLeague for the next 10 years.
A letter was reportedly sent to the NBA last week, and all EuroLeague clubs holding an A license have been notified.
"I send the legal letters to my lawyers," Silver said during a press conference on Thursday ahead of the NBA Berlin game 2026. "So, I'll let them handle that."
Silver also addressed the potential clash between the EuroLeague and the NBA's European project.
"I don't think by any means it's inevitable that there is a clash," Silver said. "I think there is an opportunity here to grow European basketball.
"And frankly, I'm much more focused on the competitive landscape, not just with other sports in Europe, but with other entertainment options," he added. "That's how we view the NBA.
"We don't think of ourselves, even in the United States, as necessarily competing against other basketball organizations or other sports organizations. We're competing for people's attention."
Credit AP - Scanpix
He went on to explain why the NBA is pursuing this project.
"And if I thought that the ceiling was the existing EuroLeague and their fan interest, we wouldn't be spending the kind of time and attention we are on this project," Silver noted.
"I'm a huge fan, as many of you know, of European football. I'm amazed at the sense of followership and belonging, almost the tribalism that comes with the love and support of these organizations. And that to me is where we're setting our sights.
"I think there is plenty of room for competition," he also said. "There's plenty of room for somebody to be a fan of both their favorite football club and their favorite basketball club. And so that's where my focus is right now."
Silver also emphasized that the NBA Europe's long-term focus is not just one continent.
"While we're looking at this opportunity to create a league in Europe, if we do it properly, the league may be physically based here in Europe," Silver said. "But the hope would be just like with the NBA, that people are following it around the world."
"You know, so that just in the same way these great football teams that, you know, we could go down the list of these most storied traditions – there are followers throughout the United States and Asia, South America, et cetera. That's what makes these sporting organizations so special. And that would be the same thing we try to accomplish with a new league here in Europe," Silver added.
The NBA Europe expansion is expected to launch with 16 teams in 2027.
Of these, 12 are projected to be permanent European teams, while the remaining four spots will be open to teams from FIBA-affiliated domestic leagues, allowing them to qualify each year and compete at the highest level.
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