EuroLeague basketball owners have declined a formal merger offer from the NBA, as confirmed by Barcelona on Wednesday. The decision was made during a meeting of the EuroLeague’s 13 shareholder clubs in Cernobbio, Italy, on Tuesday.
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The clubs, including Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Olympiacos, and others, gathered to discuss future strategies for their collective property, according to a statement on the EuroLeague's website, which did not reference the NBA directly. Barcelona informed the Associated Press that they had rejected the NBA's proposal and stated that if the offer were to change in the future, it would be reconsidered.
Club owners took several decisions during the meeting, including a move towards converting the existing 10-year licenses into franchises for the shareholder clubs and plans to increase franchise numbers. The details of the voting process among the clubs were not disclosed, and the EuroLeague declined to comment further.
The NBA, in partnership with FIBA, aims to establish a 16-team model in Europe and reportedly offered each prospective member 400 million euros (approximately $448 million). NBA Commissioner Adam Silver affirmed the league's intentions to launch this new venture in Europe by October 2027, potentially requiring entry fees of at least $500 million from franchises.
European basketball teams, including some in the EuroLeague, have faced financial challenges, often relying on wealthy owners to cover operating losses.