EuroLeague basketball owners have turned down a formal proposal from the NBA to merge into a single European operation. This decision was announced by Barcelona on Wednesday after a meeting held in Cernobbio, Italy, involving 13 shareholder clubs, including prominent teams such as Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Olympiakos.
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In a statement on the EuroLeague's website, the organization described the meeting as a discussion on key strategic decisions regarding their collective future, but did not mention the NBA directly. Barcelona confirmed to The Associated Press via email that the merger offer had been rejected. Club president Joan Laporta participated in the meeting where the rejection decision was made.
Barcelona’s statement indicated that while the NBA’s proposal was not acceptable in its current form, the EuroLeague and its clubs would reconsider it should amendments be made in the future. Details on how individual clubs voted were not disclosed, and the EuroLeague declined further comment, referring back to its official statement.
The NBA, in collaboration with FIBA, is exploring a 16-team model for a potential European league and had reportedly offered future members 400 million euros (approximately $448 million) each. Following the EuroLeague meeting, club owners agreed to transition existing 10-year licenses into franchises and discussed plans to expand the number of franchises in the league.
The NBA is aiming for a launch date of October 2027, with anticipated entry fees exceeding $500 million, amid financial challenges faced by several European teams. The league's commissioner, Adam Silver, reaffirmed the NBA's commitment to establishing a European league earlier this year.