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NBA owners are set to vote this week on a plan to launch a pro basketball league in Europe, one that would help expand the sport’s presence across the continent and give the NBA a chance to share more directly in the economics of that growth.
League owners are considering a new league with eight to 10 franchises, according to someone directly familiar with the plans. It’s a “semi-open” proposal, the person said, meaning there would be up to four spots for the best teams in the EuroLeague—the continent’s top circuit with teams like Real Madrid in Spain and Greece’s Olympiacos—to compete in the NBA’s league the following year. The franchises in places like London or Paris could sell for at least $500 million, according to the proposal.
The league would sell the permanent franchise slots to outside investors, with the NBA holding 50% of the equity and franchise owners holding the other 50%, said the person, who was granted anonymity because the details are private. That’s a setup identical to the equity structure of the WNBA up until the league raised outside capital in 2022.
As it stands, NBA officials would prefer to sell those franchises to people outside of the league, the person said, meaning sovereign wealth funds, private capital, wealthy individuals or existing European basketball clubs.
NBA owners are set to vote on the proposal during league meetings this week in New York. A representatives for the NBA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. A rep for the Raine Group, which is advising the league on the matter, declined to comment.
The vote comes after more than a year of discussions about how the NBA might better optimize its business in Europe. The league has generated a few hundred million dollars annually from Europe in recent years, but interest on the continent is growing, as is the number of talented players. The NBA believes the basketball system in Europe and the Middle East could be worth as much as $3 billion in annual revenue, Sportico reported last year.
The NBA considered deeper partnerships with the EuroLeague and/or the…
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Publish date : 2025-03-25 17:58:00
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