The NBA is officially targeting October 2027 for the launch of a 16-team European League, according to George Aivazoglou, managing director of the NBA’s European and Middle East offices.
Speaking at the Football Business Forum in Milan, Aivazoglou listed London, Paris, Rome, Milan, Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, Athens, and Istanbul as preferred host cities.
The league would feature 12 permanent teams and four play-in qualifiers from FIBA’s Champions League or domestic leagues. Manchester and Lyon are also under consideration.
To secure funding, the NBA has hired JP Morgan Chase and the Raine Group, focusing on sovereign wealth funds, private equity, and family investors.
“It would be a new competition bringing together NBA and NBA Europe teams – down the line, an NBA Cup format with American and European teams,” Aivazoglou said, likening it to soccer’s FIFA Club World Cup.
Top European clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Alba Berlin, and ASVEL are expected to participate.
The NBA is also in talks with soccer organizations – including Qatari owners of Paris Saint-Germain and major clubs in Milan – to explore partnerships.
Aivazoglou said the league could include existing basketball teams, soccer clubs expanding into basketball, and entirely new franchises.
The move may reshape European basketball and, as Commissioner Adam Silver has hinted, could serve as a form of international expansion instead of adding new NBA teams.
NBA European League Targeting 2027 Launch With 16 Teams In Major Cities https://t.co/mKlL7wSPcP
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