NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed his determination to finalize a deal with EuroLeague to establish NBA Europe during a CNBC interview on Friday. From Macao, China, where the NBA is currently holding preseason games between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets, Silver stated, "We're going to get something worked out. It's like any negotiation – it's ongoing."
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Earlier this week, EuroLeague basketball owners declined a formal proposal from the NBA to create a merged league, which would be known as NBA Europe. EuroLeague comprises 13 shareholder clubs, including Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Olympiakos.
Silver downplayed the rejection, calling it a minor setback. "I think it's too extreme to say it's a rough patch. We've been going back and forth with EuroLeague. They're the existing pan-regional league right now in Europe. It's hard to believe there are 1,200 professional clubs in Europe," he remarked. He reaffirmed that the NBA is proceeding with the NBA Europe initiative while hoping to reach an agreement with EuroLeague.
The NBA has reportedly received numerous bids totaling "many hundreds of millions of dollars" from existing European basketball clubs, prominent soccer brands, and wealthy individuals interested in acquiring the 12 new permanent NBA Europe teams planned for cities such as London, Paris, Rome, Munich, Barcelona, Athens, and Madrid. Silver noted, "It's a sort of once and forever opportunity to be the NBA team in London, Paris, Madrid," and the league is aiming for an October 2027 launch.
In addition, Silver confirmed plans for two WNBA teams to potentially play in Macao as soon as next season. These teams would participate in one or two preseason games, similar to the current NBA format. "We are interested in having the women come here. Many WNBA teams would love to play internationally, and this is a beautiful arena. It's a great opportunity here, so we hope to make that happen," he said.