Thierry Henry, Virgil van Dijk and Declan Rice were among the stars in attendance at NBA London – as the CEO of the London Lions hailed the potential for the league to become a permanent addition to British sport.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been vocal about his vision for an ‘NBA Europe’ as some of the league’s biggest teams, Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies, faced each other in the English capital on Sunday.
But with tickets ranging from £200 to as high as £1,000 available hours before the latest event tipped–off at the city’s O2 Arena, fans have bemoaned being priced out of watching the sport’s best stars on the league’s 10th visit to Britain.
However, the league could soon become a mainstay in the UK as plans for the European league continue to intensify, with a team from London and Manchester expected to be brought on board a 16–team division that could start as soon as 2027.
Silver, who met with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan last summer to discuss investment in grassroots British basketball, is looking to capitalise on the sport’s growing popularity in Europe by harnessing the continent’s football culture — having already met with the likes of Man City, Man United, PSG, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
And Lenz Balan, chief executive and president of the London Lions — currently top of Super League Basketball (SLB), which replaced the now–defunct British Basketball League (BBL) — believes there has never been a more exciting time to be involved in the sport in the UK.
London Lions CEO Lenz Balan has hailed the potential expansion of the NBA into Europe and UK
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been vocal about his plans for a new ‘NBA Europe’ league
Tickets at the top of London’s O2 Arena were selling for £196 (left) on Sunday morning for the Orlando Magic vs Memphis Grizzlies match, while courtside tickets were selling for £999 (right)
‘I think it’s the kind of catalyst that’s really needed for basketball to hit its potential in this country, and that’s a good thing from a commercial standpoint,’ the American told Daily Mail Sport.
‘More money, more interest, more media attention on British basketball is a really, really good thing, and it ties in directly with what we’ve been trying to build at the Lions.’
‘Our ambition is to be a globally recognised basketball club,’ he adds. ‘We want to be as famous as Chelsea or the LA Lakers or Boston Celtics, and play in the absolute top European competitions or the top competitions globally.’
The latest event, where Real Madrid legend Marcelo, Liverpool star Curtis Jones, Man United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo and rapper Aitch were also spotted, is the NBA’s second European match this year after playing in Berlin earlier in the week.
It is thought NBA Europe will welcome current basketball teams as well as new franchises and football clubs who do not currently have affiliated basketball teams.
Top football clubs such as Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid have associated basketball teams competing in EuroLeague – the second most popular basketball division in the world, whose chiefs have been previously outspoken against the NBA Europe plans.
It has been claimed the division would consider taking legal action against the NBA if their clubs break existing agreements to take part in the new league, with reports in Spain claiming Madrid would be interested in the NBA project.
But Silver maintains there is ‘plenty of room for competition’ and said they ‘wouldn’t be spending the kind of time and attention we are’ on [NBA Europe] if they thought EuroLeague was the pinnacle for basketball in the continent.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was seen wearing a huge smile as he sat courtside on Sunday
Chelsea striker Joao Pedro was also seen among the crowd at London’s 02 Arena on Sunday
Virgil van Dijk and Thierry Henry shared a laugh before the game tipped off on Sunday
BBC Sport reported that City and United do not intend to have a team in the league. There have also been suggestions NBA Europe would look to welcome new clubs from London and Manchester rather than bringing existing franchises on board.
It could provide an influx of investment after a tumultuous few years for British basketball, which Balan himself was embroiled in, in his role as 777 Partners’ vice–president when the American investment company financially collapsed.
777 owned the Lions, who were plunged into administration in 2024, and held a 45 per cent stake in the BBL which has since been replaced by the SBL.
Balan, who retained his role as CEO of the Lions in 2024 after they were bought out by Lithuanian tech group Tesonet, has since admitted that he ‘made mistakes’ in the past and that he now wants to do ‘everything to give back to the sport’.
Dainius Liulys, chief executive of CEO of Zalgiris Group, which has taken over the running of the Lions, told CityAM in September 2024 that Balan was a key driver in keeping the club alive when it was ‘on the brink of collapse’.
Balan also serves on Sir Sadiq’s ‘Basketball Taskforce’. And while he now claims there will be inevitable ‘winners and losers’ from NBA Europe, he believes the UK basketball scene will be bolstered if the league has British representation.
‘One of the untold stories about British basketball, and that’s a function of a lot of turmoil in recent history, is that there have been a number of deep–pocketed investors who now own clubs,’ Balan says.
‘I think [NBA Europe] will increase the valuations of the traditional clubs, or the clubs who aren’t investor–backed, and allow them to attract investment as well. All the clubs have a challenge to make sure the SLB is NBA Europe ready, EuroLeague ready, Champions League ready.’
Real Madrid’s legendary Brazilian defender Marcelo was seen courtside in London on Sunday
Liverpool and Man United midfielder’s Curtis Jones and Kobbie Mainoo were spotted at the O2
Rapper Aitch sported a black hat as he arrived at the showpiece event in the English capital
However, with American sports often come eye–watering prices, most recently brought to the fore with sky–high ticketing costs for Europeans at this summer’s FIFA World Cup, held in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The cost to watch the NBA on Sunday in London has caused outrage, with one fan writing on X all the way back in November: ‘The NBA must be joking with the prices for GRIZZLIES v MAGIC game in London.
‘If the goal was to build a fanbase in the UK, making the cheapest ticket on sale today £265 isn’t going to do that. You should be ashamed. What a scam.’
Another fan wrote on Friday: ‘The NBA London game would have seen me if the ticket prices weren’t ridiculous.’
Some fans did, however, say they were able to secure access for the event at a cost of under £100, having bought them further in advance.
Though tickets for the next Lions’ men’s team game at East London’s Copper Box on Wednesday are as low as £12, Balan says he wishes he could sell his for more than 35 times that.
‘As a club we want to be tied to communities and make sure that tickets are accessible to people who can’t afford them, but in order for us to create a premium product and to attract the best players in the world, we’re going to have to drive economics,’ he said.
‘We currently have some of the best basketball players in the world at our venue regularly, and we find ways to make sure that we get an entry price that everybody can enjoy, but there will always be higher–priced, higher–quality tickets, which is what we demand.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan was in attendance at the NBA London event on Sunday evening
Balan is on Sir Sadiq’s ‘Basketball Taskforce’ and believes NBA Europe would benefit Britain
‘As people realise that this is a premium product that’s worth paying for, just like a Premier League product, it actually drives more money into the ecosystem.
‘So I want to sell tickets for £450 a game, but I also want to make sure that we make sure it’s accessible to as many people as possible. I think you can do both things, for sure.’
Balan believes London is primed to become a major basketball hub and that the NBA’s growing presence in Europe will only accelerate that process.
‘In my opinion, it is a city that should have lots of elite basketball happening,’ he said.
‘And I think a lot of people will gravitate to it if they have a Premier League kind of product. I think it’s a no–brainer.’
Sunday’s NBA game is the first time the American league has been in Britain since 2019, and basketball facilities in London are set to receive a £1.5million investment to mark the occasion, which mayor Sir Sadiq says will help improve access to the sport for young people.
Sir Keir’s government and the NBA also announced in September that they would be investing £10million into grassroots basketball after the meeting with Silver.
‘Basketball is booming in Britain – and this investment will help take it to the next level, opening up the game to thousands more people right across the country,’ the PM said.