The NBA has confirmed a one-year delay for its ambitious NBA Europe project, which is now scheduled to tip off in 2028. This venture, described by industry insiders as the most significant startup competition in global sports history, involves a total planned investment of $10bn (£7.6bn) over the next decade. The league will feature 16 teams, comprised of 12 permanent franchises and four temporary members decided through a pre-qualifying competition beginning next year. The NBA is planning to invest about $10bn (£7.6bn) over 10 years in what sources have described as the sporting world’s biggest-ever startup competition.
Financial interest in the venture has already exceeded expectations. The NBA is reportedly fielding multiple bids for the 12 permanent franchise spots, with values for the London-based team expected to surpass $1bn. Among those competing for the London stake are former Chelsea chair Todd Boehly, a consortium linked to former Tottenham chair Daniel Levy, MSP Sports Capital, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. With prices expected to range from $500m to more than $1bn for the London franchise, it is understood to have received multiple offers for the 12 franchises that exceed their targets.
While investors are eager, the project has drawn specific attention from Europe’s football elite. Deputy commissioner Mark Tatum held high-level discussions last week with executives from Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and Milan. Tatum noted that the interest spans diverse groups, including well-capitalized investors new to basketball and existing football clubs seeking to expand their sporting portfolios. In football every single club understands the clear pathway to play at the top level.
The Manchester franchise has also attracted high-profile attention, with Buss Sports Capital—an investment firm that recently divested from the Los Angeles Lakers—submitting a bid. Notably, City Football Group (CFG) has refrained from bidding despite its strong ties to the NBA, including a $300m partnership to establish a global basketball academy in Abu Dhabi. However, CFG remains linked to the project as a co-owner of Manchester’s 23,000-capacity Co-op Live arena, a site earmarked for the league. The US investment group that sold their 17.8% stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to Joshua Kushner this year, are believed to have submitted an offer for the Manchester franchise, but City Football Group (CFG) has not bid despite having close links with the NBA, which has agreed to set up a new global academy in Abu Dhabi as part of a $300m partnership, buss Sports Capital.
Despite the commercial momentum, the league faces significant headwinds from the established basketball establishment. During a recent assembly at Lake Como, EuroLeague clubs voted to reject the NBA’s initial investment proposal, choosing instead to pursue an independent expansion from 20 to 24 teams. Despite this, Tatum remains optimistic, emphasizing a vision that includes the EuroLeague, Fiba, and individual clubs to revitalize the sport’s European infrastructure.
The NBA’s structural model for the new league draws inspiration from European football’s pyramid system to ensure upward mobility. The 16-team setup will see 12 permanent members joined by four qualifying teams annually. The entry path is expected to include the top two teams from the Basketball Champions League and the two finalists from a tournament featuring Europe’s domestic champions. Furthermore, the highest-ranked non-franchise team reaching the playoffs may retain a spot for the following season, encouraging competitive turnover. The highest ranked non-franchise club that reaches the end-of-season playoffs would keep their place in NBA Europe the next season, with the other three sent back to the play-in competition, so there would probably be a regular turnover of entrants outside the permanent 12, in another nod to greater upward mobility.
Some analysts suggest the enthusiasm from football giants like Real Madrid, led by president Florentino Pérez, may be driven by ulterior motives. Pérez is reportedly keeping a close eye on NBA Europe, viewing the semi-closed league structure as a potential blueprint for a future breakaway football competition. While NBA sources maintain that their model will be more inclusive than existing systems—offering direct qualification for domestic champions—the association remains wary of the political complexities surrounding clubs like Real Madrid, which are still embroiled in legal battles with UEFA and FIFA over their participation in the failed European Super League. When they settled on a hybrid model representing Europe and North America’s sporting cultures, the NBA’s decision to seek a partnership with EuroLeagues rather than go it alone was taken during the summer.
The NBA aims to finalize the identity of its new franchise owners within the current calendar year. As negotiations continue, the league’s success will depend on its ability to balance the commercial demands of high-net-worth investors and football powerhouses with the established traditions and resistance from existing European basketball stakeholders.
