Adam Silver said the NBA will move forward with NBA Europe with or without EuroLeague, but expressed confidence that the two sides will ultimately reach an agreement.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver remains confident that the league will reach an agreement with EuroLeague over the future of European basketball, despite recent reports of difficult negotiations and rejection.
“It’s like any negotiation. It’s ongoing,” Silver told CNBC in Macao, where the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks opened the 2026 NBA China Games on Friday. “I think it’s too extreme to say it’s a rough patch. We’ve been going back and forth with EuroLeague.”
“They’re the existing pan-regional league right now in Europe,” he added. “On top of that, there are leagues in every country. It’s hard to believe there are 1,200 professional clubs in Europe.”
“So, EuroLeague is the top-tier competition right now. We’re going forward with what we’re calling NBA Europe, and we’re hoping we’ll work something out with the EuroLeague. I think we will.”
When asked directly whether the NBA would launch the league even without EuroLeague, Silver answered: “Yes, but we’re going to get something worked out with them.”
Silver reveals massive interest in NBA Europe franchises
“They’re coming in from a combination of existing basketball clubs, some of the big soccer brands in Europe,” Silver explained. “And then in other markets, people are starting clubs from scratch.”
According to Silver, the early indications regarding franchise valuations have been extremely positive.
When asked how much interested groups were prepared to pay, Silver revealed that the figures were already reaching “many hundreds of millions of dollars.”
“I mean, it’s a sort of once-and-forever opportunity to be the NBA team in London, Paris, Madrid, Munich, some of the top markets in Europe, some of the top markets in the world,” Silver said. “And that’s how people see those opportunities.”
EuroLeague preparing counteroffer after Lake Como meeting
According to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews, the EuroLeague’s decision not to accept the NBA’s current conditions should not be viewed as the end of negotiations.
Instead, EuroLeague shareholders are expected to return to the negotiating table in the coming weeks with a counteroffer.
BasketNews sources indicated that the NBA’s latest proposal represented a significant improvement from the earliest stages of negotiations, but substantial differences remain between the sides.
Credit Euroleague Basketball
NBA Europe launch could move to 2028
The outcome of these negotiations could also impact the launch timeline for NBA Europe.
The NBA has been working toward launching the competition in 2027 and continues to develop the project independently of its discussions with EuroLeague.
However, Donatas Urbonas reports that if the NBA and EuroLeague don’t reach an agreement and the NBA ultimately launches a completely separate competition, NBA Europe’s debut could be pushed from 2027 to 2028, even though the NBA continues to push for a 2027 launch – something NBA’s Commissioner Adam Silver noted once again in his recent press conference.
The NBA Doesn’t Understand European Basketball
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