EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas downplayed the NBA's plans to launch an NBA Europe league, saying ideas alone do not guarantee success. He stressed EuroLeague's long experience in the region, expressed confidence that all shareholder clubs will stay, and suggested the NBA project remains more talk than reality for now.
EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas does not appear impressed by the NBA plans to launch a new competition in Europe.
Speaking about the NBA Europe project, Motiejunas made it clear that talk alone does not equal success. While the NBA has outlined ambitious ideas, the EuroLeague leader believes reality in Europe works very differently.
"We've only heard the plan or the fireworks of how amazing it will be, how much potential there is," Motiejunas said per AP news. "But having a theory is one -- and making it work is two."
The EuroLeague CEO stressed that experience matters when operating in the European basketball landscape.
"We've been here for 26 years. We know how Europe functions," he explained.
NBA is exploring a European league in partnership with FIBA. The proposed model includes 16 teams, with 12 permanent members, and a potential launch in October 2027.
Several major cities have been mentioned as possible hosts, including Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, London, Milan, Munich, and Istanbul.
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Attention has recently focused on three EuroLeague shareholder clubs that have not yet renewed their long-term licenses: Real Madrid, Fenerbahce, and ASVEL.
Barcelona, which had also delayed its decision, has now indicated it will extend its EuroLeague license for another 10 years.
"It's a big deal, of course. It's an important brand, and we're happy that they committed," Motiejunas explained.
The CEO remains confident that the full group of shareholder clubs will stay with the EuroLeague despite the outside noise.
"The NBA has been announcing and announcing things for a year, but still it's nothing that you can grasp on," Motiejunas said. "As businessmen, these are team owners, they also begin to see it's a little bit of a broken record of 'we will announce later.' ... The '27 start is already around the corner."
Reports have suggested that EuroLeague clubs could exit their agreements for a fee of around 10 million euros.
Motiejunas did not deny that contracts can be broken, but emphasized that such moves would come with legal consequences and added that there is no NBA opt-out clause written into existing deals.
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