The Lewis family, which controls Tottenham Hotspur, has joined a consortium bidding for NBA Europe’s planned London franchise, according to Sky News. The group has submitted an offer for a team expected to be among the most valuable assets in the league, with the London franchise valued at around $1 billion.
The consortium brings together the Lewis, Checketts and Eccles families. The Checketts family has held investments in professional sports including Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake and the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, while the Eccles family has been involved in sporting facilities and events connected to the 2002 and 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
The bid adds another major contender to a crowded race for London. Tottenham’s former chairman Daniel Levy is also involved in a competing consortium alongside Liberty Global and MSP Sports Capital, according to Sky News.
American technology executive Nikesh Arora is another prominent bidder. The Palo Alto Networks CEO has assembled an investment group reportedly prepared to offer more than $1 billion for the London franchise. Arora previously led a consortium that acquired a 49% stake in London Spirit of The Hundred for £145 million in 2025.
London has become one of the most competitive markets in NBA Europe’s ownership process. The NBA received bids across 12 targeted cities, with reported proposals ranging from approximately $500 million to more than $1 billion.
The proposed NBA Europe competition is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2027 with 16 teams. Twelve would hold permanent licenses, while four additional clubs would qualify annually through sporting performance, creating a structure that combines permanent franchises with promotion based on results.
The NBA has identified London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Rome, Berlin, Munich, Athens and Istanbul as the target cities for the 12 permanent franchises. Commissioner Adam Silver said in July that the league was finalizing bids and expected announcements to follow.
The London franchise has attracted particular interest because of the city’s commercial scale and the NBA’s existing history there. London has hosted multiple regular-season NBA games, giving the league an established audience and an existing event infrastructure.
The Lewis consortium also brings direct experience from football through Tottenham, while David Checketts has held senior roles in the NBA and has been involved in professional sports and arena operations. Sky News reported that the group is backed by substantial institutional and private capital.
Other major investors are pursuing NBA Europe opportunities in different markets. Qatar Sports Investments has been linked with Paris, while RedBird Capital is targeting Milan, and several groups have reportedly submitted bids in multiple cities.
The NBA is still determining how its new competition will coexist with the existing EuroLeague. Silver has expressed a preference for cooperation with European basketball’s established competition, but the NBA has continued developing its own league structure as negotiations remain unresolved.
