Dimitris Giannakopoulos, the owner of Greek basketball club Panathinaikos, stated on Wednesday that Europe's leading basketball clubs need to collaborate with the NBA. This comes after the clubs declined a proposal from the NBA to form a new continental competition. Karolos Grohmann of Reuters reported that the European clubs rejected the offer during a meeting in Italy, although discussion regarding a possible partnership remains open.
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Giannakopoulos emphasized the importance of working together, noting, "The NBA, the top league in the world, wants to invest and make Euroleague a part of their world. With huge respect but also proud of what we have finally ... achieved, we must together find a solution."
It was reported that while the Euroleague is keen to expand, it is uncertain whether the NBA will present a revised proposal. A senior sports executive suggested that any collaboration is unlikely to materialize before 2028, as organizing a new competition for the 2027-28 season is expected to be challenging.
Despite rejecting the current proposal, discussions with the NBA may continue. Giannakopoulos also criticized some European teams for not prioritizing the growth of basketball, stating, "They still believe that success is how much money you lose at the end of the year. Basketball is not a rich boys' toy."