NBA to explore launching new European pro league: How it might look, who could join
(Top photo: Stephanie Lecocq / Reuters via USA Today Network via Imagn Images) https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6234659/2025/03/27/nba-adam-silver-europe-basketball-league/ By The Athletic NBA Staff March 27, 2025 Updated March 28, 2025 3:34 pm GMT+1 By Joe Vardon, Adam Crafton and Mike Vorkunov NEW YORK — The NBA will explore starting a new pro basketball league in Europe with FIBA — the international governing body for basketball — as its partner, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday. The Athletic reported Wednesday that Silver planned to pitch the NBA board of governors his early sketches of building a new European league as early as 2026. On Thursday, Silver further detailed those plans and said he anticipates the new league would have 16 teams, with 12 of them permanent clubs. The league is also expected to include deep-pocketed investors, some defectors from the established EuroLeague and new franchises in major markets like Paris and London. Silver’s presentation in New Yo...