NBA chiefs are in town this week to hold talks with potential investors in its planned European league and a potential London franchise, according to reports.
Commissioner Adam Silver and deputy Mark Tatum are set to meet with private equity firms, investment banks, sovereign wealth funds, government officials and basketball clubs during a European roadshow, Sportico said.
The world’s leading basketball league is exploring launching a competition in Europe which could include teams based in London, Manchester and Paris, among others.
NBA Europe is set to be a collaboration with world governing body Fiba, which runs the existing EuroLeague. Like EuroLeague, clubs involved would likely continue to play in their domestic league too.
NBA Europe is expected to feature around 16 teams, of which 12 would be permanent members and four would qualify based on recent performances. EuroLeague currently has 20 teams, of which 16 have long-term licences.
Which teams will play in NBA Europe
The potential entry of the NBA into European basketball comes at an inflection point for the British game, which is currently mired in a bitter civil war between the British Basketball Federation and the clubs of Super League Basketball.
Progress in launching NBA Europe would create even greater uncertainty in the UK, as any British teams involved in the league are expected to be new franchises rather than existing teams.
That poses questions for London Lions, the most high-profile British team who have also embarked on a project with support from mayor Sadiq Khan to build the country’s first world-class, purpose-built basketball arena in the capital.
The Abu Dhabi-based owners of Manchester City, meanwhile, have been linked with establishing a Manchester NBA Europe franchise.
Paris has been identified as a key market, having hosted annual regular-season NBA games in recent years. The owners of Paris Saint-Germain, Qatar Sports Investments, are understood to have discussed buying a franchise in NBA Europe.
NBA star Kevin Durant last month agreed an investment in and strategic partnership with the Qatari group, which he said would see him “explore new investment opportunities with QSI”.