The NBA is driving its plans for a basketball league in Europe together with the World Association Fiba. “We have the feeling that it is now time to enter the next phase,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after a meeting with the owners of the teams in New York. These would “enthusiastically support” such a step, emphasized Silver.
NBA and Fiba wanted to go into a partnership for the new league and further expand their role in Europe, said Silver. “After the most successful world championships and Olympic games of all time, we also believe that it is the right time to take the next step for club basketball,” said Fiba General Secretary Andreas Zagklis.
Competition to Euroleague?
Many details are still unclear. According to a report by the portal “The Athletic”, Silver presented the NBA owners plans for a league with 16 teams, 12 of which permanently participate. It is expected that the league will also belong to wealthy investors, some defectors from the established Euroleague and new clubs in large markets such as Paris and London.
The NBA sees Europe as a growth market. In the meantime, many of the best players in the world come from the continent, including the superstars Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetocounmpo. The German world champions Franz Wagner and Dennis Schröder also take central roles at their NBA teams.
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The Euroleague, in which Bayern Munich and Alba Berlin compete against other top European clubs, is currently the second best league after the NBA. Fiba Europe has its own European competitions, which are often conflict with the Euroleague.