Expansion has long been on the minds of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA league office. Although domestic expansion remains on the league's agenda, a new venture overseas in Europe is beginning to take shape, and the NBA continues to bring a new league to life.
Over the years, the game of basketball has grown exponentially worldwide, and some of the NBA's best talents are from the continent of Europe. International basketball is in high demand, especially in Europe, where superstar talents and recent MVPs like Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo began their respective careers.
Since first exploring the idea of a possible expansion league in Europe, the NBA and FIBA have announced that they will move forward with their joint exploration of a new professional, pan-European men’s basketball league, engaging with prospective teams and ownership groups starting in January 2026.
Now that the time has arrived, Silver, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Mark Tatum, and many other league office personnel continue to move forward with the plans for NBA Europe. This is especially true with the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic taking part in Berlin and London games on Thursday and Sunday.
“We have 270 million fans in Europe and basketball has become their second-most-popular sport,” NBA SVP, Head of International Strategy & Operations Leah MacNab told ClutchPoints in an exclusive one-on-one before the league's game in Berlin on Thursday. “This week, we have games in Berlin and London, and just to give you a sense of the interest, 450,000 fans registered their interest in those games and events.
“Our goal is to build on the rich tradition of basketball that exists in Europe, preserve that quality and tradition, and really just amplify it on a more global stage.”
Although many details for this new league formation have yet to be finalized, the NBA Europe expansion is planning to launch with 16 teams, the NBA office confirmed to ClutchPoints. Of these 16 teams, 10 to 12 of them will be permanent teams in Europe, with the four open spots leaving the door open for teams from FIBA-affiliated domestic leagues in Europe to qualify each year and play at the highest level.
The main reason for this is to create a new level of competition Europe has never seen in basketball.
“Today, just 10% of European clubs have a chance to play in the top-tier league,” MacNab explained. “We want to create, with FIBA, a clear, merit-based pathway to qualify that is based on on-court performance. We also want to make sure that we're expanding to new cities in Europe. So cities like Berlin, London, Paris, and Rome, for example, don't have permanent clubs today.
“And a big piece of what we're doing is aligning schedules so that the domestic leagues' and the national teams' play doesn't overlap. This provides players, you know, a chance to represent their club and country, and we think it is a huge ecosystem benefit for fans.”
This NBA Europe expansion has a chance to be groundbreaking for the league and its investors, which is why Silver, Tatum, and high-ranking NBA officials continue to work diligently on the formation of this product.
Why is right now the time for NBA Europe?
Since Adam Silver took over the role of commissioner from David Stern in 2014, he has made it a point of emphasis to not only expand the business side of the NBA but also continue building the NBA brand into a dominant force across the world.
Over the last decade, the NBA has seen tremendous success compared to other professional sports league in terms of social media engagement and creating a diverse product that doesn't just appeal to one age group or demographic. Compared to where the game of basketball was when he took over as commissioner of the NBA, Silver and the league office have seen exponential growth in revenue and interest.
Europe has played a big role in the league's maturation, and now the continent is viewed as a prime opportunity for the NBA to become an empire.
“There are multiple factors that make now the right time for this European league,” MacNab explained to ClutchPoints. “Obviously, the momentum and growth of fandom within Europe itself plays a major role, and the talent level… it's incredible. But the investment interest that we've seen is notable, and you sort of need all three of those things to line up with one another in order to execute something of this scale.”
As the game of basketball expands due to the NBA, those inside the NBA headquarters, including Silver and Tatum, see an opportunity to expand and create even more revenue for the brand.
More importantly, the formation of a European NBA league creates a new pathway to the NBA in America and allows European-based fans to embrace what it means to be involved with the NBA as a whole.
“We have really measured NBA interest in Europe, and we've seen that interest skyrocketing over the last decade,” MacNab continued. “I think that going back to play our global games every year is a big foundational interest point, but we also have a ton of fans that are following us on social media. We've been interested in Europe for a long time. We just believe that the market conditions are right for us to be engaging on this in the way that we are.”
This major opportunity that continues to move forward is gaining the attention of not just NBA fans in Europe, but also established basketball clubs and major investors.
What teams and cities will join NBA Europe?
The major topic anytime expansion is brought up, or in this case, the formation of an entire new league, revolves around what cities will be rewarded with franchises.
Dozens of high-level leagues already exist in Europe, including EuroLeague Basketball, which is arguably the second-best professional basketball league in the entire world outside of the NBA. Plenty of young, emerging European stars end up making the jump from the EuroLeague to the NBA, and there are always many established NBA talents who take their talents to Europe in order to prolong their careers.
Notable players like Spencer Dinwiddie, Devonte' Graham, Lonnie Walker IV, and Evan Fournier are all participating in the EuroLeague this season.
But what if instead of playing in the EuroLeague, all of these NBA-level talents could remain under the NBA banner in the new NBA Europe league?
That is certainly a main talking point among the league and its prospective European investors, and interest in this new league continues to grow. Now, it's about figuring out who the 16 teams will be when the league eventually forms.
“We believe the clubs will come from three different groups,” MacNab said. “There will be existing European clubs who will raise their hands and want to be a part of this league. We also believe there will be major cities that will want to form new clubs entirely that do not exist today. Then there is the possibility of European football clubs that are interested in creating a basketball team getting involved.”
The NBA is currently in the process of formally engaging with prospective teams and ownership groups who have expressed interest in joining the new European league. Various conversations will be held between the NBA's leadership, investors, and these ownership groups this week, with games being played in Berlin and London.
As of right now, the goal is for investors to put together formal bids to join the league in Spring 2026, according to CNBC and Bloomberg. Although there are still some hurdles to cross in terms of the formation of the league, the hope is that the NBA Europe launch will happen at some point in 2027, but Silver has made it clear that there is currently no concrete timetable in play.
England, France, Italy, and Germany are four major countries being targeted to have at least one basketball club join the new NBA Europe league. Greece, Turkey, and Spain are also target countries for the NBA. Major cities and hubs like London, Berlin, Paris, and Madrid are the ideal candidates to be among the first NBA Europe franchises.
To this point, no agreements have been finalized or announced by the NBA.
Silver will be speaking with the media in Berlin on Thursday before the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic, so further details may be shared on the progress and timeline of the European expansion league then.
Next steps for the new European league
The formation of a new league is nothing new for the NBA.
In 2019, the NBA and FIBA partnered to launch the NBA Africa League (BAL), which officially began its first season in 2021 with 12 African clubs. Using certain practices that worked when launching this league in Africa, the NBA has a better understanding of what needs to happen to ensure NBA Europe is even more successful.
Dikembe Mutombo, who was from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was a key voice for the NBA launching its league in Africa. Aside from having the title of NBA Global Ambassador, the Hall of Famer was also a key NBA Africa investor.
The NBA is taking on a similar approach with the NBA Europe venture, but at a significantly larger scale. Current and former NBA players and coaches, including San Antonio Spurs legend Tony Parker, Los Angeles Lakers legend Pau Gasol, Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, and Miami Heat forward Simone Fontecchio, have all recently discussed their support for the NBA and FIBA’s exploration of a new European-based league.
There are plenty of notable NBA figures, including Hall of Famers, who could get involved with the NBA Europe expansion, and the league already has a group they have consulted with.
“We are not quite at the stage yet where we are actively hiring leaders to work on these new franchises and new league, but I will say that we do have a very strong and committed group of former players that have been advising us,” MacNab said. “Some are former coaches, some are former players, and so on. They have all been incredibly helpful.
“This team, the working team helping form the league, is largely made up of people from Europe who work within our European office, as well as others in the headquarters. It's a real international effort.”
Other than continuing to chart where possible franchises will be located and finalizing agreements with investors during the first half of 2026, the NBA will also continue to provide the Board of Governors with the information needed to explain the impact of this European league regarding finances, revenue share, and other managerial aspects of the deal.
The NBA's main goal at this time is to continue receiving feedback from potential investors in Europe and taking that information back to the current owners and the board to discuss matters further. Silver and Tatum will continue to provide updates as necessary regarding any conversations held with the NBA's Board of Governors.
Money is always the toughest obstacle to get through, and that is why discussions with the 30 current NBA owners and getting them to agree to certain criteria of NBA Europe will be essential to getting the league started.
At the end of the day, the NBA creating a new league in Europe and getting close to moving into the next steps of its formation is not solely about the brand's exposure and creating a global basketball empire. All of that obviously matters to Silver and those in the league office, but this, like many other inventions and ideas under Silver's tenure, is about giving basketball fans around the world what they want.
“The learning opportunity with the NBA Europe expansion has been incredible,” MacNab explained. “And to work with colleagues from Europe and all over the world has been fantastic. What I think we want everyone to know is that all of us working on this massive project really want it to serve the fans.
“We're doing this because we believe there's a better product available for fans and one we can grow and celebrate basketball, not just across Europe, but on a global stage.”
With the NBA and its leadership in Europe for the two games in Berlin and Paris, talks with potential NBA Europe investors and existing top-tier European basketball clubs will continue.
