On Jan. 19, the NBA Europe project held a major event attended by 250 people, including representatives from EuroLeague clubs Real Madrid, Barcelona, Olimpia Milano, Panathinaikos, ASVEL, and Bayern.
Monday, Jan. 19, was a landmark day for the NBA Europe project, as NBA commissioner Adam Silver and his team hosted an event that brought together 250 key figures from basketball, soccer, and the investment world.
Representatives from top European basketball and soccer clubs were present, including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Olimpia Milano, Panathinaikos Athens, ASVEL Villeurbanne, Bayern Munich, and ALBA Berlin, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
NBA officials also met privately with Fenerbahce Istanbul in Berlin last week.
In addition, English soccer giant Manchester City and Italian powerhouse AC Milan were represented on Monday, signaling interest in either establishing new teams in their cities or expanding investments in existing ones.
Per The Athletic, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns Newcastle United and LIV Golf, sent officials to the meeting, alongside other investment firms such as Lazard, Rothschild, Sixth Street, Blackstone, Arctos, and BC Partners.
Many of these firms already have ties to European sports, including FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Liverpool FC.
Credit Rokas Snarskis
Executives from Nike, a potential lead sponsor, and Amazon Prime, a possible media partner, also spoke, alongside Silver and two of his top deputies: deputy NBA commissioner Mark Tatum and George Aivazoglou, the NBA's managing director in Europe and the Middle East.
Prominent basketball and soccer figures addressed the crowd as well, including Andreas Zagklis, FIBA's secretary general; Pau Gasol, a six-time NBA All-Star; Tony Parker, a former NBA star and principal owner of ASVEL; and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a former soccer star and senior adviser to AC Milan.
Gasol is reportedly under consideration for a key role in the NBA Europe project, though details of its leadership structure are still undecided.
The new league is targeting an October 2027 launch, featuring 12 licensed or permanent teams and four spots each year available for qualification by nearly any European professional team.
One spot each year would go to the FIBA Basketball Champions League (BCL) champion, while the remaining three would be earned through a FIBA-run qualifying tournament for the highest-performing teams in domestic leagues.
Sources told The Athletic that these qualification competitions would likely take place in June 2027.
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