Reports have surfaced suggesting that the NBA has found success in the bidding processes for its 12 prospective NBA Europe permanent franchises, including multiple bids exceeding $1 billion.
NBA Europe, a joint venture between the NBA and global basketball governing body FIBA, has targeted 12 major European cities as the key cornerstones for its mixed membership model, which will involve 12 permanent franchises and 4 additional participants from across European competition.
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US media giant ESPN, an NBA rightsholder in its own right, has said that the league received multiple bids in all 12 markets, both within its $500 million asking price and beyond the $1 billion mark.
Those 12 cities are: Milan and Rome (Italy), Berlin and Munich (Germany), London and Manchester (UK), Paris and Lyon (France), Madrid and Barcelona (Spain), Istanbul (Turkey), and Athens (Greece).
In a statement published this week, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum confirmed that the league has viable “front runners” in each of the 12 markets.
Tatum said: “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.
"This will be the biggest influx of capital European basketball has ever seen, and we have clear front-runners in each of our 12 target cities."
The NBA Europe project puts the NBA and FIBA in direct opposition to the current dominant European continental basketball competition, the EuroLeague, which already boasts commitments from all of the continent’s most prominent basketball teams, including Barcelona, Olympiacos, Panathanaikos, Fenerbahce, Bayern Munich, and perhaps most notably, Real Madrid, which reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to the EuroLeague last week.
Indeed, the Spanish giants committed to playing in the elite EuroLeague club competition for the next 10 years despite a lucrative offer to join the proposed NBA Europe league.
While the EuroLeague no doubt brings familiarity and security for a high-profile organization like Real Madrid, gambling on NBA Europe could have yielded even greater results, according to GlobalData Sport lead analyst Conrad Wiacek, who said: "Real Madrid may have misjudged the appetite for the NBA's expansion plans by re-signing with the EuroLeague.
“While a safer play, the NBA was always going to generate interest, and with another potential team located in Madrid, but this time backed by the NBA's marketing machine, Real may find themselves in a position where the long-term commitment they made to the EuroLeague is more of a hindrance than good judgment.
“For the NBA, it highlights that Europe is a key opportunity for them, allowing them to grow their presence and park their tanks firmly on EuroLeague's lawn."
FIBA and the NBA outlined their plans for the NBA Europe project last December, with secretary general Andreas Zagklis earmarking October 2027 as a potential launch date.
