Adam Silver, boss of the American basketball league, confirmed that discussions are being held with several Spanish clubs to create a European league. Real Madrid are concerned.
A step forward in the project to create a European NBA? NBA boss Adam Silver confirmed Thursday the existence of “discussions with Real Madrid and other Spanish clubs” with a view to the creation of a league in Europe, while warning that the profitability of this new competition would take time.
The NBA, which aims to launch its league in Europe in the fall of 2027, is well in “discussion with Real Madrid and other Spanish clubs”said Adam Silver during a press conference held on the sidelines of a match between Orlando and Memphis relocated to Berlin.
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But, at this stage, it is more of an approach aimed at “collect information” only formal invitations to join this league, he added, cautiously.
A project that is looking for itself
The president of the NBA did not give the identity of the other Spanish clubs with which the powerful North American League is in contact. On Tuesday, FC Barcelona announced to the other shareholders of the Euroleague that it had renewed its license for this competition for 10 years, which seems to outline a future outside of NBA Europe.
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The Euroleague is in fact to this day the main club competition in Europe, and the NBA project is seen as being in direct competition, which Adam Silver was however keen to qualify. “I don’t think a clash is inevitable… I think there’s plenty of room for competition”he judged.
The boss of the NBA also assured that his project in Europe was focused on “finding the right combination between old and new, between tradition and innovation”. According to him, NBA Europe is intended to welcome newly created teams as well as existing ones.
He also felt that future partner teams, required to pay an expensive entry fee, should think about “the very long term” and be patient about the profitability of the test. Adam Silver took the example of the WNBA, the North American women’s championship, created in 1996. “Thirty years later, it’s incredible what’s happening in women’s basketball” in the United States, he argued. A convincing argument to attract the different players?
