NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed Thursday the league is exploring a partnership with FIBA for a new European basketball league.
Silver addressed the topic with the media after a meeting with the NBA Board of Governors. FIBA is the international sanctioning body of basketball, and FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis joined Silver to meet reporters.
“I’m particularly pleased today, along with my colleague Andreas, to announce that we’re ready to go to the next stage and that is to explore a potential league in Europe with FIBA as our partners,” Silver said (via Front Office Sports).
“Coming out of the most successful World Cup and Olympics ever, we also believe it is the right time to take the next step for club basketball,” Zagklis said (via ESPN).
Silver said NBA owners showed “enthusiastic support” for the venture. The NBA has been discussing the proposed league for months.
The commissioner stressed that the league is not a done deal (“literally nothing has been agreed upon yet”) but that he mentioned it now in the interest of transparency, specifically for potential European teams and owners that would have a stake.
“We want to have very open and direct conversations with existing stakeholders and not have backroom conversations. It was our feeling if we announced our intentions, then we could openly discuss with existing stakeholders, existing clubs, what their level of interest is and the community would know that,” Silver said.
What would this new league look like? Silver anticipates 16 teams. The Athletic reported Thursday that four EuroLeague teams could join the new venture: Real Madrid, Barca Barcelona, ASVEL Basket of Villeurbanne, and Fenerbahçe Istanbul. Major markets such as Paris, London, Berlin and Munich would also be possibilities to land teams.
Silver also said it would be essential to honor European basketball traditions. That would mean 40-minute quarters and a FIBA-style of play.
The Athletic reported that NBA owners would have an equity stake in the league, although not in the individual franchises.