The NBA has received finalized bids from more than 20 groups vying to participate in NBA Europe, a European basketball league it plans to launch in October 2027, sources familiar with the negotiations told ESPN.
The bidding process to become one of NBA Europe’s 12 permanent franchises opened in February for prospective teams in major markets, including London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Munich, Milan, Rome and Istanbul; Barcelona, Spain; Manchester, England; Lyon, France; and Athens, Greece. Viable groups submitted bids in all 12 target cities, sources said, with multiple bids topping $1 billion in select markets.
NBA Europe, which the NBA is managing in conjunction with FIBA, basketball’s global governing body, will challenge the existing EuroLeague as a high-level platform for teams across Europe. NBA Europe plans to launch with 16 teams -- 12 permanent clubs and four open spots that the NBA envisions filling via a promotion system. European teams could earn the right to compete in NBA Europe by winning a tournament composed of domestic league champions or by winning FIBA’s Basketball Champions League.
The 16 teams will compete in a round-robin regular season and a multi-round playoff format, which will culminate with a finals.
“We’re extremely encouraged by the final bids we received for permanent franchises in a new NBA and FIBA-backed league in Europe, which reflect the tremendous interest and momentum around this project,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said in a statement Tuesday. “This will be the biggest influx of capital European basketball has ever seen, and we have clear frontrunners in each of our 12 target cities.”
The NBA’s Board of Governors and FIBA will soon begin the process of selecting the winning bids, with franchises expected to be announced on a rolling basis. Several existing EuroLeague teams placed bids in hopes of joining the NBA’s proposed European league in its first season, sources said.
Sources familiar with the NBA’s financial model and business plan said that NBA Europe’s initial franchises could “break even” by their third season. The NBA’s forecasts also anticipate a cumulative distribution of more than $10 billion across the European basketball ecosystem in its first decade via future franchise sales, outside investments, media rights agreements, ticket sales and merchandise.
