NBA Advances Plans for Europe with Major Football Clubs
The NBA is making significant progress in talks with major European football clubs regarding the establishment of NBA Europe, with potential merger discussions involving the EuroLeague ahead.
The NBA is continuing to advance the establishment of NBA Europe, with significant progress recently made in talks with several major European football clubs, according to a report by The Athletic.
During the annual European Club Association summit in Copenhagen, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum and George Aivazoglou, who oversees league operations in Europe and the Middle East, were spotted in private talks with senior officials from Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.
According to the report, all of these clubs have expressed interest in joining the new enterprise. PSG and Milan do not currently have basketball teams, and the Parisian club has long been considered a candidate to establish a new team in the city.
An official from one of the clubs interested in the project told The Athletic: "It is clear that Tatum would not have been invited here if things with the football clubs were not progressing in the right direction."
Next week, EuroLeague shareholders are expected to gather in Italy to discuss proposals from the NBA to acquire the competition and merge it with NBA Europe.
According to the plan, the new league is supposed to include 12 permanent teams and four additional spots. The cities marked are London, Paris, Rome, Milan, Berlin, Munich, Istanbul, Madrid, Athens, Barcelona, Manchester, and Lyon.
Tatum also addressed the model the NBA wants to build in Europe during the conference. "We have learned so much from European football over the years," he said. "One of the things we are trying to do with our league in Europe is to take some of the great things that have been built here and apply them."
