This morning in London the guidelines of the possible new European League were presented. 250 people and all the interesting teams were present, including Olimpia with Messina and Stavropoulos, and the Rossoneri leaders of RedBird. Cardinal: “It can be incredibly successful.” Ibrahimovic: “Perfect partnership”
An exclusive look at what the NBA and FIBA have in mind for the Europa project. In a luxury hotel in central London, the US league and the government of world basketball raised the curtain on their vision for the league which according to their plans should start in autumn 2027, the one which in current ideas should have fixed teams in 12 cities, including Rome and Milan. A meeting in which Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gerry Cardinale also took to the stage. One in which Olimpia Milano also participated, with Ettore Messina and GM Stavropoulos, together with a long list of interested teams that includes all the powers of the continent. It was the first time “all together”, an exclusive look offered to the clubs that will potentially be part of it on what NBA Europe means, as sources present at the event told the Gazzetta.
THE MEETING
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There were 250 people in the hotel meeting room, not far from Big Ben. The idea of the NBA and FIBA was to give potential clubs, potential investors and world-class brands an idea of what they are trying to set up, what they want to do with this new league whose details they are defining. The NBA and FIBA consider it a unique opportunity to finally realize the full potential of European basketball, the second largest sport on the continent with over 270 million fans which, however, on a commercial level, does not take a slice of the pie equal to the interest it arouses. In the room were Commissioner Adam Silver and his deputy Mark Tatum, as well as managing director for Europe George Aivazoglou, who spoke about the league itself together with the president of FIBA Europe Jorge Garbajosa, after the initial greetings from Silver and FIBA general secretary Andreas Zagklis. Also on stage were Tony Parker and Pau Gasol, speakers in three panels in which the NBA not only talked about its project, but involved potential investors such as Nike, Amazon, RedBird and KKR, all of whom took to the stage (RedBird with Cardinale himself) to talk about the potential of this project.
THE TEAMS
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Among the most interested spectators, with their eyes towards the stage set up with a background on which the monuments of the cities where the NBA wants to bring the 12 permanent franchises of its league appeared in stylized versions, were the teams. In the room there were, in addition to Messina and Stavropoulos for Olimpia and Cardinale and Ibrahimovic for Milan, representatives of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Asvel, Panathinaikos, Bayern Munich and Alba Berlin, all interested in immediately joining the new league. In addition to Fenerbahce, not present at the London meeting but whom NBA representatives met last week. Also in the room were representatives from private equity, funds and banking institutions interested in investing in the teams, including representatives from KKR, RedBird, Lazard, Rothschild, Sixth Street, Blackstone, Arctos, BC Partners, QSI and PIF. Also present were representatives of JP Morgan and Raine Group, the two banks to which NBA entrusted an initial consulting phase and which are now in the project as potential investors.
THE PHRASES
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Ibra took to the stage to talk about the value of the NBA beyond the pitch. “I am convinced that if the NBA comes with an idea and a business model and combines it with European fans, a perfect partnership is born,” the Swede told the audience, according to what was reported to the Gazzetta by sources present at the meeting. “I think it will be incredibly successful, if we can take what we learned in the US and what we learned here…” Cardinale relaunched. Gasol broadened the picture: “We’re talking about a basketball league, but there’s much more at stake. It’s about the entire ecosystem, the national championships, the impact of this project on the new generations.”
THE NEXT STEPS
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The presentation closed a week of meetings between Berlin and London, where the NBA played two regular season games, from which the US league and FIBA emerged strengthened in their idea that the conditions exist to continue talking about this project and see it become reality. The next few weeks, the next two months, will be decisive: the clubs present at a meeting in which they were clear how determined the NBA and FIBA are to move forward will have to turn their interest into reality, but the NBA and FIBA will also have to work behind the scenes. March could be the decisive month: the idea of the new league in Europe should reach the Board of Governors, the assembly of NBA owners who will have to decide whether to give the project the final green light. If it happens, what is announced as the revolution of European basketball could become reality.
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