The NBA Europe plan is proceeding full steam ahead, and RedBird are not the only group looking to bring a franchise to Milan.
As Calcio e Finanza write, just days before the deadline for bids, NBA Europe presents itself as a project still fluid in its details but already crystal clear in its ambition: to reshape European basketball, transforming it into a global industry, made up of franchises, billion-dollar media rights, and next-generation arenas.
This is where funds, clubs and cities intersect, and it’s here that Oaktree (Inter’s owners), RedBird (Milan’s owners) and Olimpia Milano have decided to play their game, which for the two funds means broadening their Italian focus beyond football and Inter and Milan.
The key date
There’s a watershed date: March 31st. Non-binding offers for the licenses of the nascent NBA Europe must arrive by that deadline. There are just a few days left, and as often happens with large global projects, there are few certainties, many hypotheses, and the game is still wide open.
One thing is clear: big names like Oaktree, RedBird and Olimpia Milano are gravitating around the project. The starting point is simple: the NBA isn’t considering an extension of its model, but rather a transformation of European basketball.
A system of franchises – new or hybrid – will be used with entry fees expected to range between €500m and €1bn. It will be a long-term vision, and an economic infrastructure focused more on global entertainment than continental sporting tradition.
For RedBird, the move is almost a natural fit. The fund has built its identity on the intersection of sport, media and live experience, and NBA Europe represents exactly that: a global, scalable product integrated with audiovisual rights, sponsors and new platforms.
Constant contact with the American league, meetings, and relationships built over the years demonstrate a genuine interest. Above all, there’s the arena: San Donato, a project already underway, with a sporting and entertainment focus perfectly aligned with what the NBA wants to develop.
Oaktree are moving on a more financial level. The involvement of financial advisors like JPMorgan and Raine – who have ties with Oaktree in the US – undoubtedly brought Inter’s owner fund closer to the NBA operation. This is why evaluations within the Nerazzurri are underway.
The theoretical discussions on both sides are currently more advanced than the practical ones, however. There’s still no decision to make as to whether the deal can be carried out by just one of the two funds, by both funds without Olimpia, by one of the two funds with Olimpia, or even just by EA7.
In this context, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Milan already has a basketball team (unlike in other cities involved, such as Paris, where PSG has a basketball investor in Kevin Durant) and in recent years, despite struggling in Europe, it’s also the team that has won the most in Italy.