Well, it looks like NBA Europe is going to have to wait a bit longer, because EuroLeague members just slammed the door shut on the NBA’s merger offer. A formal proposal to combine forces and create a single NBA Europe entity got outright rejected this week, with the word on the street, courtesy of Front Office Sports and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, being that it “didn’t sit well” at all.
“Colonialist” and a Power Play? Oof.
The 13 permanent EuroLeague clubs gathered in Cernobbio, Italy, on Tuesday, and a supermajority of owners said “hard pass” to the NBA’s vision. We’re talking big names like Barcelona, Fenerbahce, and Olympiacos reportedly being among the nay-sayers. And get this: the NBA’s offer was described as “colonialist.” That’s a strong word, right?
One source told Front Office Sports that the EuroLeague owners, who’ve poured serious time and cash into building their league and their “real brands, real franchises,” just felt like it was “very much a power play.” It clearly rubbed them the wrong way, frankly, especially since the NBA’s proposal apparently valued the EuroLeague at far less than $3 billion. “Wasn’t even close to that,” the report states. You can see why they’d feel disrespected.
Who Expands and Where? That’s the Sticking Point.
The NBA’s plan is to launch a 16-team league in Europe as soon as 2027, mixing some existing teams with new ones, some permanent, some using promotion/relegation. They’ve even been getting bids for expansion franchises all over the continent. But here’s where things really get spicy: the NBA’s proposal tried to tell the EuroLeague to pause its own expansion plans. Yeah, you read that right.
The EuroLeague currently rocks 20 teams and wants to push that to as many as 24 by the 2027-28 season. And naturally, some of the markets they’re eyeing overlap with where the NBA wants to set up shop. We’re talking about cities like Rome and Milan in Italy, London and Manchester in England, Paris and Lyon in France, Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, Munich and Berlin in Germany, plus Athens in Greece and Istanbul in Turkey. It looks like a classic battle for turf, and the EuroLeague isn’t about to give up its ground.
What Now for Europe’s Basketball Future?
So, Tuesday’s vote was a clear rejection, but don’t count this out completely just yet. Negotiations between the two sides are still expected to continue. ESPN also reported that a “significant number” of EuroLeague teams have actually expressed interest in joining NBA Europe, which adds another layer to this whole saga. It’s a complicated mess, no doubt, and while a combined venture with the EuroLeague isn’t happening right now, this story feels far from over. Will the NBA sweeten the pot, or will Europe’s top clubs dig in even deeper?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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