The NBA is making concrete progress on its European league project and Paris appears more than ever as a strategic location. Traveling to London for the match between Orlando and Memphis, Adam Silver confirmed that discussions were underway with Paris Saint-Germain with a view to a future « NBA Europe »the launch of which is planned for the 2027-2028 season in partnership with FIBA. The boss of the North American league praised the expertise of the Parisian club, stressing that it is evolving “at the highest level of competition” and that he has “the know-how to operate a basketball club at the highest level”while recognizing the existence of direct exchanges with the Parisian institution. For his part, NBA number two, Mark Tatum, insisted on the importance of the Parisian market, highlighting the strength of the PSG brand, its ability to create a strong culture and its link with the equipment manufacturer Jordan, elements considered perfectly compatible with the world of basketball.
Behind this mutual interest lies an ambitious project, driven by regular contacts between Qatar Sports Investments and the NBA around the creation of a PSG Basket which would have a permanent place in the future European league. Adam Silver believes the challenge is “ambitious, but doable”while the contours of the competition remain to be finalized, with twelve founding franchises and four clubs from the Champions League (BCL) to be designated within eighteen months. The financial question remains central, with Bloomberg citing an entry ticket of up to $1.5 billion, an amount that Silver confirmed should be largely assumed by the candidate clubs. It also remains to clarify the place of Paris Basketball, a club created in 2018 and the driving force behind the revival of high-level basketball in the capital. For the NBA, Paris attracts both established players and new investors, and dialogue remains open with all stakeholders.
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