The NBA Europe project is quickly accelerating, and AC Milan’s ownership will soon have to make a decision on whether to get involved.
You may have read things about the possibility of Milan being involved in having a European NBA franchise in the pre-planned expansion league, but might not understand what it means. Our recent Substack article broke it down in detail, including the cost implications and potential benefits.
Deadline set
The Financial Times (via La Gazzetta dello Sport) has announced two developments for the league the NBA plans to launch in Europe in the fall of 2027.
First, this week the NBA began sharing exclusive financial data with all stakeholders. This includes funds and football clubs interested in having a franchise, and also basketball clubs like Olimpia Milano and Asvel Lyon. Secondly, the NBA has invited interested parties to submit preliminary, non-binding offers by the end of March.
The NBA is determined to have an alternative basketball league to the Euroleague and has been openly discussing it for several months. The plan calls for 12 permanent teams, plus four qualified based on sporting merit, with a list of preferred cities: Milan, Rome, London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Munich, Athens and Istanbul.
The Financial Times also cites Oaktree, the fund that owns Inter, among those granted access to the data room with financial projections for the new tournament. What does this mean? That Oaktree will evaluate the project.
AC Milan and Inter NBA franchise
Consequently, for now, it’s right to leave the door open to all possibilities, including Inter’s involvement in NBA Europe, alone or together with Milan or Olimpia. At present though it feels like their interest is lower than that of AC Milan and Olimpia.
The most striking development is the first deadline: the NBA has asked interested parties to submit non-binding offers by the end of March. The fact that it’s possible to reverse the decision without paying penalties (so is non-binding) makes it less daunting, but the message is clear: the NBA are in a hurry.
RedBird, for example, are facing a decision that isn’t so simple. On the one hand, Cardinale has always been very interested and very close to the NBA. On the other, the cost of participation, estimated between €500m and €1bn, is significant, considering that AC Milan cost €1.2bn in 2022.
A prediction? It’s complex, but it’s conceivable that RedBird could enter the game and then negotiate a financial agreement with the NBA. Olimpia will undoubtedly gather information and evaluate. As for Inter, they continue to appear further away from the project.