Sport and business

Nba invests 3 billion to launch a new European basketball league with 12 permanent franchises

NBA Europe's building site takes shape through the axis with Euroleague and aims to reshape continental basketball

by Marco Bellinazzo

9 May 2026

Come dovrebbe funzionare la Nba Europe

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The Nba has updated the business plan of the new European league, after discussions with more than 120 potential investors, putting a figure of $3 billion on the table to support its start-up phase. In order to ensure that those who will invest in the new franchises (there is talk of an entry fee ranging from 500 million to one billion) can concentrate on growth strategies, the American league's funds will be used to cover any losses and to cover part of the costs for the commercial and infrastructural strengthening of the 12 permanent franchises (in Italia they will be in Milan and Rome).

The Nba led by commissioner Adam Silver continues to believe in the unexpressed wealth of the Old Continent market and its 270 million basketball fans, aware however that it will take time to make the venture profitable. In the meantime, it will be necessary to implement the economic governance know-how of American basketball and financially support the basketball start-up.

The 12 cities-franchise concerned

At the end of March, Nba and Fiba, with the advisors J.P.Morgan and Raine Group, gathered expressions of interest for 12 city-franchises (Milan, Rome, London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Munich, Istanbul and Athens) from more than 20 entities including football and basketball clubs, including from the current Euroleague.

The consortia acquiring the 12 permanent franchises will already receive commercial incentives and sporting merit rewards from the first year (for the debut date remains the autumn of 2027), thanks to a substantial prize pool.

In addition, according to the Sole 24 Ore, the owners of the 12 franchises will be allocated 48% of the new league's capital and will collect the fees paid by the consortia that will progressively take over, acquiring a share of the 52% initially held by the NBA and Fiba.

Nba Europe will in any case have to be a semi-open league, giving teams that have won other continental or national competitions the right to qualify and enter on sporting merit.

The NBA has realised that it cannot disregard the sporting heritage built up over the last twenty years by the Euroleague, a tournament that has become a reference point from a technical point of view while remaining fragile in economic terms.

This is why dialogue with the Euroleague was initiated after a phase of opposition. Euroleague CEO Chus Bueno and George Aivazoglou, managing director Nba Eme, have met several times in recent weeks and are planning another summit on 29 May.

Come dovrebbe funzionare la Nba Europe

The Euroleague strategy

Precisely with Bueno, the Euroleague has embarked on a path of reforms aimed at stabilising governance and revenues, making the system more attractive to investors. The three-year project envisages the transformation of the ten-year licences of the 13 member clubs - including Olimpia Milano - into stable franchises by the 2026-27 season. A step that, according to internal estimates, could increase the asset value of the teams by up to 30 per cent. From July, a phase of expansion will open with new clubs being able to acquire the status of permanent franchises through the payment of an entry fee (there is talk of a dozen interested clubs, including Red Star, Partizan, Valencia, Paris, Dubai and Hapoel Tel Aviv, to which Hapoel Jerusalem and Paok will be added). From Italia, Virtus Bologna, Venezia, Trento, Napoli and Roma have moved. The capital is one of the hottest dossiers, with two groups - one linked to Donn Nelson and the other to Paul Matiasic - who are also looking at the NBA Europe project and who could take over the sporting titles of places like Cremona and Trieste to create a new team in the capital.

On the revenue side, the Euroleague has set up a new multi-year distribution model: national TV revenues will be distributed 65% to clubs from the same country and 35% to the others, while commercial revenues will follow a mix between sporting merit, historical performance and fan engagement (75%) and fixed share (25%).