The NBA is nearing finalisation of agreements with clubs for the launch of its own European league, with an official announcement expected in the near future, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said on October 20. The league aims to begin operations in October 2027, marking a major expansion of its footprint into European basketball.
Speaking on the opening day of the 2026-27 NBA season, Tatum confirmed that while Europe’s leading basketball clubs recently declined a proposal to collaborate with the NBA, the league remains committed to moving forward with the new venture. “We’re not stopping, and we’re moving and proceeding as quickly as we can,” he said in a video call.
The proposed NBA Europe league is designed to represent the largest investment in European basketball to date, encompassing academies, grassroots development programs, league operations, marketing efforts, and arena infrastructure upgrades. The league would combine a core group of permanent franchises with additional clubs qualifying annually based on performance, according to the plan jointly announced with basketball’s global governing body FIBA earlier this year.
Tatum emphasized that the NBA’s vision for European basketball diverges from that of the established EuroLeague, which currently features 13 permanent shareholder clubs and is in the process of expanding to a 24-club competition with up to eight additional permanent licences expected to be announced in mid-November. “The EuroLeague seemingly wants to double down on what they’ve been doing. We have a different vision. We have a vision of reimagining and realigning the European basketball ecosystem that’s built on a merit-based foundation,” Tatum said.
The EuroLeague counters that about 40% of its licensed clubs are financially sustainable, and projects all clubs will reach financial stability by the end of the first phase of a 10-year business plan unveiled recently. However, Tatum questioned the viability of the EuroLeague’s expansion approach, citing financial instability among existing teams and raising doubts about adding new clubs under those conditions. He contrasted this with the NBA Europe model, which projects franchises to become profitable by their third year.
“The choice is simple,” Tatum said, adding that the NBA’s structure is designed to provide clubs with a faster path to profitability and “multibillions of dollars in distributions back to clubs” during the first decade. This, he said, would enhance financial stability and enable reinvestment into the broader basketball ecosystem.
The comments followed warnings from EuroLeague CEO Chus Bueno, who cautioned against further fragmenting the European basketball market, describing such developments as potentially “a disaster.” Despite these concerns, the NBA remains focused on launching its European league as scheduled, underscoring its commitment to reshaping the continent’s basketball landscape.