The National Basketball Association (NBA) and International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced that in January, they will commence their joint exploration of a new professional men’s European basketball league.
The NBA said it will start engaging with prospective teams and ownership groups at the start of 2026.
While details haven’t yet been made public, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC franchise values could be upward of US$1 billion.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said JPMorgan and Raine Group have been actively meeting with interested parties in Europe and reported that there is a lot of “positive interest” moving forward.
Sources told CNBC the banks have met with 70 potential investors and that discussions began a year and a half ago. The league first explored the idea of a men's basketball league in Europe last March.
“Our conversations with various stakeholders in Europe have reinforced our belief that an enormous opportunity exists around the creation of a new league on the continent,” Silver said in a release.
In the release, the NBA said it would provide financial support and resources for European basketball, including investments in domestic leagues and across FIBA’s existing programs to create a pipeline of coaches, players and referees.
The NBA called Europe an “untapped market” with an estimated 270 million potential basketball fans.
The NBA also believes the current European basketball market is undervalued and lacks teams in marquee cities.
According to the Wall Street Journal, two-thirds of teams in the already established EuroLeague lose money.
The NBA is looking to create teams in Berlin, Paris, Rome and London while also considering Spain, Turkey and Greece.
This follows the NBA completing its fifth season of its African League, which it said has grown every year in attendance, merchandise and social engagement.
The African league was also created in collaboration with FIBA.
