NBA chief wants to tap into football fan culture for new European competition

LONDON – The passion and tribalism of European football fans is something National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner Adam Silver is hoping will be part of the new basketball competition expected to launch in Europe within the next two years. 

The

NBA announced in 2025 that it was exploring options for creating a new European-wide competition

in partnership with world basketball governing body FIBA. 

No teams have been announced but Silver said they were still in discussions with potential investors, while football clubs in Spain such as Barcelona and Real Madrid already have basketball teams who have been competing in the EuroLeague for many years.

Speaking a day before the Memphis Grizzlies met the Orlando Magic at London’s O2 Arena on Jan 18, Silver said there had been talks with leading European football clubs and praised the fan culture that produces fierce rivalries, heated matches and deep familial connections.

“We want to design this (European league) for success... it means that the partners who invest in this league will understand that any revenues that exceed expenses... will need to be reinvested in the enterprise and to grow the sport,” Silver told reporters in London. 

“To even dream of creating this sort of relevance that these top European football clubs have... that’s something that we don’t necessarily experience in the US, the depth of the religious fervour of some of these clubs, the way that the traditions are passed down from generation to generation. 

“It is something that I wish every American sports fan could experience.”

According to the Sports Business Journal, the NBA is eyeing franchise fees in the range of US$500 million (S$644.4 million) to US$1 billion and has hired JPMorgan and The Raine Group to refine the business plan.

Silver said they were open to all types of investment, including from sovereign wealth funds and private equity, which is something allowed up to a point in the US league.

“We’re talking to families that currently invest in sports, some who have not had the tradition of investing,” Silver said.

“In addition to talking to sovereign wealth funds, there are more traditional investment funds that have had some experience investing in sports, and then some just more traditional private equity funds that see sports as an asset class.”

London represents the NBA’s biggest success story outside the US, with the Jan 18 game being the 19th featuring an NBA team in Britain since 1993 and the league’s 10th regular-season game in the British capital.

The poor state of professional basketball in Britain means an NBA Europe franchise in London would be a significant step in developing interest and opening up a British talent pathway.

Around 15 per cent of players in the NBA hail from Europe – current big names like Luka Doncic from Slovenia, Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece and Nikola Jokic from Serbia – but less than a dozen have come from Britain in the league’s history, despite basketball often ranking as its second most popular team sport behind football for participation and engagement.

“We haven’t had the same sort of success (in producing players) in the UK as we have had in these other European countries,” Silver said. 

“It’s not for lack of youth participation, it’s a very popular sport here from a development standpoint. At the same time, we haven’t had the luxury of a top-tier UK club in a long time. And to me, I just see it as opportunity.”

Meanwhile, in NBA action on Jan 17, Bam Adebayo scored 30 points and made a career-high six three-pointers as the hosts Miami Heat beat defending champions the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-120.

Andrew Wiggins made the go-ahead three with 31 seconds left, giving Miami a 122-120 lead. He got the assist from Norman Powell, who scored 19 points.

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 39 points, but his Thunder had their five-game winning streak snapped. REUTERS