NBA is targeting October 2027 as a potential launch date for the new European league it and Fiba are working on, a league spokesman said Friday.
NBA Europe managing director George Aivagolozu, speaking at a conference in Milan, said the new league's first season could be described as a “semi-opening”, indicating that not all spots in the planned 16-team league could be allocated at that time.
The 16-team model calls for 12 full-time franchises, Aivagolozu said. He listed the current target countries as the UK (potential host cities include London and Manchester), France (Paris and Lyon), Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), Italy (Rome and Milan), Germany (Munich and Berlin), Greece (Athens) and Turkey (Istanbul). The NBA has not officially announced any deals with any city or club at this time.
The remaining four teams in the league can qualify by winning either the Phoebe Cup. Basketball Champions League or through their performances in European domestic leagues, Aivagolozu said.
That eventual element of teams reaching the domestic league finals is “probably the most exciting part of the plan because we all know the national leagues today are not necessarily what they were 20 or 30 years ago,” Aivagolozu said.
It's unclear when the NBA might officially announce anything about a launch date or initial list of franchises. The NBA will send the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies to play in Berlin and London in mid-January.
Aivagolozu's comments Friday were some of the most specific yet regarding the NBA's plans for a new league, although it should be noted that talks with teams, investors and other stakeholders are ongoing.
“We are making good progress in our approach and interaction with the market,” Aivagolozu said. “We are having serious discussions regarding investors.”
According to Aivogolozu, there is also discussion about having NBA and European teams meet in some kind of competition, perhaps similar to what soccer's governing body FIFA did with its Club World Cup.
“One of the things we'll do very soon after we launch this league is we'll probably create a new tournament,” Aivogolozu said.
The NBA and Fiba, basketball's global governing body, announced plans in March to create a new European league, ending years of speculation about when or if such a move would happen. The process moved quickly, and a significant step forward this year came when the NBA hired JPMorgan Chase and Raine Group to advise on finance and strategy.
It has long been known that existing European clubs such as Real Madrid, Fenerbahce and Barcelona are involved in the NBA's plans for a new league, along with other top football brands such as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
Roughly one in six current NBA players hail from Europe, including Denver's Nikola Jokic of Serbia and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece, a duo that have combined to win five of the last seven league MVP awards. Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers is from Slovenia. and San Antonio superstar Victor Vembanyama originally from France.
