American basketball professionals are frequent flyers, even if they need extra legroom. The players travel in their teams’ private jets National Basketball Association (NBA) almost every day from game to game, usually commuting between the east and west coasts of the USA. On Monday, however, the Orlando Magic team landed in Berlin. And even waved black, red and gold flags upon arrival.

The basketball players are not in town for sightseeing; their visit is a business trip on behalf of their employer. On Thursday, the team from Orlando will play against the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA’s first official league game on German soil. The game is a test run for a much larger project: The NBA wants to expand and build a European league based on the American model, and is looking for partners and donors on both sides of the Atlantic. The previously cautious explorations are becoming more concrete around the game, even those responsible from the NBA headquarters in New York have traveled to negotiations. It’s about billions.