NBA, Euroleague Basketball and FIBA held “constructive discussions” at FIBA headquarters in Mies, Switzerland, on Tuesday and agreed to continue the conversation in the coming weeks, according to a press release by the EuroLeague. The joint statement is the clearest sign yet that the three sides are still actively shaping what a new era of European club basketball could look like.
The talks come as the NBA and FIBA continue to push forward with a proposed 16-team European league built around 12 permanent clubs and four annual qualifiers. In the model first outlined by the NBA, the qualifying routes would reward sporting merit through FIBA’s Basketball Champions League or an end-of-season qualifying tournament.
Interest in the project has reportedly been strong. More than 120 prospective investors, including current teams, outside groups and high-net-worth individuals, have shown serious interest, with bids ranging from $500 million to more than $1 billion for permanent places in the league.
The target markets remain the same: London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Berlin, Munich, Athens and Istanbul. Those cities are central to the NBA’s long-term plan, which still points to an October 2027 launch as the working target for the new competition.
The EuroLeague’s participation remains a key part of the conversation, even as the new proposal has created tension around the sport’s future structure. For now, the message from Switzerland is that no final deal has been struck, but the dialogue is still alive and moving.
