Euroleague Basketball, the organizer of Europe's elite EuroLeague club competition, is seeking to raise €2.5 billion in capital as part of a three-year strategic business plan “aimed at maximizing both the collective value of the league and the individual asset value of its clubs.”
The plan was approved and unveiled yesterday by the Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA) board as the organization embarks on a strategic roadmap designed to accelerate the long-term growth, value creation, and global positioning of the EuroLeague competition.
A key component of the roadmap saw ECA shareholders agree to explore raising €1.5 billion in capital to support strategic growth initiatives, alongside an additional capital raise of at least €1 billion dedicated to a commercial vehicle “focused on accelerating the development and modernization of EuroLeague venues.”
Euroleague Basketball said the investment would “strengthen infrastructure standards, enhance the fan experience, and unlock new long-term revenue streams.”
The plan will look to elevate the EuroLeague’s collective enterprise valuation to €2.5 billion within three seasons.
Other key aspects of the roadmap include the evaluation of establishing permanent licenses (so-called ‘franchises’) and expanding the number of licenses “to ensure stability and continuity”; digital acceleration, direct-to-consumer capabilities, and strategic geographic expansion; and structural enhancements designed to optimize governance, operational scalability, and commercial performance.
Following the board meeting, the European basketball body also revealed that it projects year-on-year revenue growth of 9%, alongside a corresponding 18% increase in club economic distributions.
At the club level, market revenues have grown by 40% over the past three seasons, driven by an 85% increase in gameday revenues and a 30% rise in commercial revenues.
Euroleague Basketball stated: “These results underscore the strengthening financial foundations of the EuroLeague ecosystem and validate the strategic direction undertaken in recent years.
“This strategic roadmap reflects ECA’s clear ambition: to lead European basketball into its next era of growth, innovation, and global relevance, while safeguarding the integrity, competitiveness, and sustainability that define Euroleague Basketball.
“Through these actions, ECA reaffirms its leadership position in European basketball and its commitment to delivering a premium competition model that balances sporting excellence with commercial ambition and long-term sustainability.
“Further details regarding implementation milestones and operational guidelines will be communicated in due course.”
NBA Europe
Another key topic for ECA board members was the continued threat of a proposed NBA Europe league.
Jesus “Chus” Bueno, who was named as Euroleague Basketball’s new chief executive in late January, informed the board that he recently held “constructive discussions with senior executives of the NBA regarding potential future collaboration opportunities in Europe.”
The organisation said: “The board reaffirmed its openness to exploring a strategic partnership framework, both at the league and individual club level.
“The league’s executive management team will continue engaging in dialogue with the NBA and, following the conclusion of the latter’s ongoing process this month to explore market feedback on its investment data room, will jointly evaluate all potential strategic opportunities.”
Bueno, who replaced Paulius Motiejunas, has a relationship with the NBA, having worked for the top North American league for over a decade.
He joined the NBA in 2010, first serving as vice president for Europe before expanding his remit to span Europe, Africa, and the Middle East (as vice president), as well as his native Spain (as managing director) before departing in 2022.
The NBA has partnered with global basketball governing body FIBA to establish an NBA Europe-branded competition, which comes at odds with the EuroLeague’s own positioning as the top basketball championship on the continent.
Euroleague Basketball’s latest stance represents a significant shift after it reportedly informed the NBA of its plans to take legal action if the US league had engaged in discussions with clubs already committed to the EuroLeague about joining the project.
The organizers of the European club competition recently sent a letter to the NBA and informed all clubs currently holding an A license of their position.
During a visit to Europe in January, where the NBA staged regular-season games in Berlin and London, league commissioner Adam Silver held private meetings with several European clubs, including multiple EuroLeague sides such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Panathinaikos, and Bayern Munich.
Read: Deep Dive: NBA Europe project gathers momentum
Read: EuroLeague embraces change with expansion and revamped commercial strategy
