PSG and QSI study basketball options via NBA Europe project

Paris Saint-Germain and its majority owner Qatar Sports Investments are studying several options to have a basketball team in connection with the NBA Europe project, CulturePSG reported. The sporting landscape in the French capital faces a complex intersection of corporate valuations, continental governance disputes, and ownership strategy as decision-makers evaluate a potential return to the hardwood more than 25 years after the dissolution of the original PSG Racing Basket entity.

EuroLeague Rejects Initial NBA Approaches

The strategic calculus for Paris Saint-Germain is directly tied to an ambitious continental project spearheaded by North American league executives aiming to install 12 permanent franchises across Europe, with a coveted anchor spot designated for Paris. However, the overarching framework remains stalled due to fierce institutional resistance from existing European basketball authorities. Thirteen shareholding clubs of the premier continental tournament gathered in Côme to discuss the future of their 20-team competition and evaluate an incoming partnership proposal from the North American organization, according to reporting by L’Équipe. Those club owners rejected the overture in a unanimous block, characterizing the proposed terms as inadequate. European sporting outlets from Greece and Italy subsequently confirmed that the continental governing body officially rebuffed the proposal, though backchannel communications reportedly remain active. While certain independent-minded clubs dismissed the initial framework using strong critical terminology, others indicated that financial terms must improve drastically before any formal integration proceeds. Concurrently, reporting from The Athletic noted that league organizers continue courting prominent European football powerhouses—specifically naming Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan—to anchor future franchise locations.

https://x.com/lequipe/status/2107463377580638518

Valuation Disparities Stall Paris Basketball Talks

Paris Saint-Germain currently maintains two American minority investors—Arctos and basketball icon Kevin Durant—who acquired stakes over a year ago. Should the continental franchise project materialize, ownership must decide how to field a competitive squad within the French capital. The most direct route would involve acquiring the existing domestic powerhouse, Paris Basketball, which currently competes at the highest level of European club competition. Yet initial exploratory discussions held roughly a year ago yielded no transaction, as reported by L’Équipe. Club leadership indicated they are not actively seeking a complete sale but rather targeted minority investment, attaching a valuation of approximately €150 million to the organization. That figure reportedly gave pause to Qatar Sports Investments executives, given that independent market assessments peg the reigning capital club’s value closer to a range between €50 million and €80 million.

Ownership Evaluates Targeting Metropolitans De Levallois

Faced with a steep acquisition price for the city’s established elite club, ownership is evaluating alternative pathways to establish a foothold in the sport. A second option involves targeting the Metropolitans de Levallois, a club currently competing in the second division of French basketball. Such a move would carry heavy historical resonance, as the Levallois outfit traces its lineage directly through a 2007 merger that absorbed the legacy Paris Basket Racing organization—itself operating as PSG Racing Basket between 1992 and 2000 under the stewardship of Charles Biétry and Luc Dayan. A third alternative entails building an entirely new franchise from the ground up. This greenfield approach could potentially link the basketball project to the club’s broader infrastructure plans in Poissy, contingent upon whether that municipality is ultimately selected over competing bids from Massy or a stadium redevelopment project at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Club leadership faces a deadline to resolve its long-term basketball strategy before the close of 2026.