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The shift in continental basketball could be about to occur and it will be huge, with the NBA preparing to form a European Conference alongside FIBA, which would leave the EuroLeague behind.

The European Conference would be built under the NBA umbrella, essentially calling it NBA Europe, and it will be a selection of the best players in the world outside of the North American division.

MARCA has learned that the NBA and FIBA are well on course to create this league and negotiations are right on track.

A quick explanation means that Fenerbahce aren't immediately going to play against the Los Angeles Lakers, but it will see control of the brand pass to the NBA, which is likely to then see a number of teams work with their European counterparts and form development partnerships.

If an agreement can be reached quickly, there is every chance that this new competition could be launched as early as next season.

The discontent shown by several EuroLeague clubs led to the departure of Jordi Bertomeu, CEO of the competition, and this has created the vacuum for NBA Europe to be created.

Prudence is now the main concern for the project, they want to take the right steps and avoid the PR calamity that came with European football's attempts at forming a Super League.

It would be the largest competitive basketball project created in decades and Adam Silver, NBA commissioner, has already sent a letter to Bertomeu expressing his intention to form this new league.
An old dream

Back in 2021, the then commissioner David Stern had a similar idea to creating a European conference that would face the NBA teams, but that idea never really got off the ground, most likely because of the aforementioned factor or cross-pollinating the competition.
What does the future hold for the EuroLeague?

The creation of NBA Europe would be a huge blow to the EuroLeague, and it immediately faces an uncertain future after some teams lead the march towards the NBA deal.

The closeness of FIBA in the deal would also end the climate of conflict which has existed between the EuroLeague and FIBA for years, something which has often seen players caught in the middle.

jokeboy86 wrote:I guess the question would then become outside of the bigger salary that US NBA teams probably would offer(and exposure) why would European prospects come over here if a European Conference is established?

Slacktard wrote:See? All of a sudden you have a whole lot more possible Ben Simmons trade targets open up

According to Marca, NBA commissioner Adam Silver sent a letter to EuroLeague CEO Jordi Bertomeu, informing him of the plan and his intention to establish this new competition. According to Eurohoops sources, no such letter has been sent to EuroLeague.

FIBA sources confirmed that a meeting which included the NBA was held, however, the aim was not to discuss the creation of a European conference, but the unification of European basketball with the NBA being called to the meeting as a stakeholder.

FIBA wants to bury the hatchet with EuroLeague and asked also from the NBA to be present in a meeting that can end up being historic

By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net

FIBA wants to create a new path in European basketball that includes all the major stakeholders and that includes not only the EuroLeague but also the NBA.

According to sources from the international basketball federation, FIBA confirms that, following an invitation to the President and CEO of Euroleague Basketball and also to the shareholders of ECA, a meeting was held in mid-September to discuss the unification of European Basketball. As a key factor in the development of basketball and given that it’s a longtime partner of FIBA, the NBA was also invited and participated in the meeting. After the end of the discussion, all parties agreed to meet again in the coming months.

It was rumored since the summer that FIBA under new secretary-general Andreas Zagklis wanted to finally end the debate with ECA which has created a private league in Europe back in 2000. However, what’s also must be noted is that the proposed plan does not include the creation of a league based on the model of BAL, a joint venture between FIBA and the NBA in Africa, as was mentioned in a report by the Spanish newspaper “Marca”.

According to Eurohoops sources, the meeting was held in Madrid and the EuroLeague management was present but not the clubs.

The point of the meeting and the inclusion of the NBA was that all the major organizations across the globe had to take part in the talks which will provide a better future for the sport in Europe.

The NBA also issued the following statement on the issue: “The NBA has a long relationship with FIBA ​​in growing basketball around the world through initiatives such as Basketball Without Borders and Basketball Africa League (BAL). We have also played several preseason games against Euroleague teams throughout the years. As part of our ongoing collaboration with both stakeholders, we were recently invited to participate in discussions on how we can work together to grow basketball in Europe. We look forward to participating in further conversations in the future. “