Inside the formation of NBA Europe and the latest information on when the new league will begin

The NBA commissioner has been mulling expansion for a long time Adam Silver and the NBA office. Although domestic expansion remains on the league’s agendaa new venture overseas in Europe begins to take shape, and the NBA continues to revive the new league.

Over the years, the game of basketball has grown exponentially around the world, and some of the NBA’s best talent is from the European continent. International basketball is in high demand, especially in Europe, where superstar talent and recent MVPs such as Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo began their careers.

Since first exploring the idea of ​​a possible expansion of the league in Europe, the NBA and FIBA ​​have announced that they will continue their joint research of a new professional, pan-European men’s basketball leagueworking with potential teams and ownership groups starting in January 2026.

Now that the time has come, Silver, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Mark Tatum, and many other league officials continue to move forward with plans for NBA Europe. This is especially true for the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic, who are participating in games in Berlin and London on Thursday and Sunday.

“We have 270 million fans in Europe and basketball has become their second most popular sport,” NBA SVP, head of international strategy and operations Leah MacNab told ClutchPoints in an exclusive one-on-one conversation before the league’s game in Berlin on Thursday. “This week we have games in Berlin and London, and just to give you a sense of interest, 450,000 fans have registered their interest in those games and events.

“Our goal is to build on the rich tradition of basketball that exists in Europe, to preserve that quality and tradition and to really just strengthen it on a more global stage.”

Although many details for this new league formation have yet to be finalized, NBA Europe’s expansion plans to begin with 16 teams, the NBA office confirmed to ClutchPoints. Of these 16 teams, 10 to 12 will be permanent teams in Europe, and the four open spots leave the door open for teams from FIBA’s domestic leagues in Europe to qualify each year and play at the highest level.

The main reason for this is to create a new level of competition that Europe has never seen in basketball.

“Today, only 10 percent of European clubs have a chance to play in the top league,” McNab explained. “We want to create with FIBA ​​a clear merit-based qualification path that is based on performance on the field. We also want to make sure that we expand to new cities in Europe. So cities like Berlin, London, Paris and Rome, for example, do not have permanent clubs today.

“And a big part of what we’re doing is aligning the schedule so that domestic league and national team play doesn’t overlap. This gives players, you know, a chance to represent their club and country, and we think that’s a huge benefit to the fan ecosystem.”

This expansion of NBA Europe has the potential to be revolutionary for the league and its investors, which is why Silver, Tatum and senior NBA officials continue to work diligently to form this product.

Why is now the time for NBA Europe?

Since Adam Silver took over as commissioner from David Stern in 2014, he has made it a point to not only expand the business side of the NBA, but continue to build the NBA brand into a dominant force around the world.

Over the last decade, the NBA has seen tremendous success compared to other professional sports leagues in terms of engaging with social media and creating a diverse product that doesn’t just appeal to one age group or demographic. Compared to basketball when he took over as NBA commissioner, Srebro and the league office saw exponential growth in revenue and interest.

Europe has played a major role in the maturation of the league, and now the continent is seen as the prime opportunity for the NBA to become an empire.

“There are a number of factors that make now the right time for this European league,” McNabb explained to ClutchPoints. “Obviously, the momentum and growth of the fandom in Europe itself plays a major role, and the level of talent … it’s incredible. But the investment interest that we’ve seen is noticeable, and in a way you need all three things to align with each other to execute something of this scale.”

As the game of basketball expands thanks to the NBA, those at NBA headquarters, including Silver and Tatum, see an opportunity to expand and generate even more revenue for the brand.

More importantly, the formation of the European NBA creates a new path to the NBA in America and allows European fans to embrace what it means to be involved in the NBA as a whole.

“We’ve really measured the NBA’s interest in Europe and we’ve seen that interest skyrocket over the last decade,” McNabb continued. “I think getting back to playing our global games every year is a big point of interest, but we also have a lot of fans following us on social media. We’ve been interested in Europe for a long time. We just believe the market conditions are right to go at it the way we are.”

This huge opportunity that continues to grow is attracting the attention of not only NBA fans in Europe, but also established basketball clubs and major investors.

Which teams and cities will join NBA Europe?

The main topic whenever expansion is launched, or in this case, the formation of an entire new league, revolves around which cities will be awarded franchises.

There are already dozens of high-level leagues in Europe, including the Basketball EuroLeague, which is arguably the second best professional basketball league in the entire world outside of the NBA. Many young European stars in the making eventually make the jump from the EuroLeague to the NBA, and there are always plenty of established NBA talents who take their talents to Europe to further their careers.

Notable players like Spencer Dinwiddie, Devonte Graham, Lonnie Walker IV and Evan Fournier are participating in the EuroLeague this season.

But what if instead of playing in the Euroleague, all of these NBA-level talents could stay under the NBA banner in the new NBA Europa League?

It is certainly a major topic of conversation between the league and its potential European investors, and interest in this new league continues to grow. Now it’s about finding out who the 16 teams will be when the league is eventually formed.

“We believe the clubs will come from three different groups,” McNabb said. “There will be existing European clubs that will raise their hands and want to be part of this league. We also believe that there will be big cities that will want to form new clubs that do not exist today. Then there is the possibility of involving European football clubs that are interested in creating a basketball team.”

The NBA is currently in the process formally engaged with potential teams and ownership groups expressing interest in joining the new European league. Various talks will be held this week between NBA management, investors and these ownership groups, and games will be played in Berlin and London.

As of now, the goal is for investors to put together formal bids to join the league in the spring of 2026. While there are still some hurdles to clear in terms of forming the league, the hope is that the launch of NBA Europe will happen at some point in 2027, but Silver made it clear that there is no concrete timetable in play right now.

England, France, Italy and Germany are four big countries that want at least one basketball club to join the new NBA Europe league. Big cities and hubs like London, Berlin, Paris and Madrid are ideal candidates to be among the first franchises of NBA Europe. So far, the NBA has not finalized or announced any agreement.

Silver will speak to the media in Berlin on Thursday before the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic, so more details on the progress and timeline of the Europa League expansion can be shared then.

Next steps for the new European league

Forming a new league is nothing new for the NBA.

In 2019, the NBA and FIBA ​​joined forces launch the NBA Africa League (BAL)which officially started its first season in 2021 with 12 African clubs. Using certain practices that worked when launching this league in Africa, the NBA has a better understanding of what needs to happen to make NBA Europe even more successful.

Dikembe Mutombo, who was from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was a key voice for the NBA to launch its own league in Africa. In addition to holding the title of NBA Global Ambassador, the Hall of Fame was also a key investor in NBA Africa.

The NBA is taking a similar approach with the NBA Europe venture, but on a much larger scale. Current and former NBA players and coaches, including San Antonio Spurs legend Tony Parker, Los Angeles Lakers legend Pau Gasol, Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez and Miami Heat forward Simone Fontecchio, recently discussed their support for NBA and FIBA ​​research on the new European league.

There are many notable NBA figures, including Hall of Famers, who could be involved in NBA Europe expansion, and the league already has a group they’ve consulted with.

“We’re not quite at the stage where we’re actively recruiting leaders to work on these new franchises and the new league, but I will say we have a very strong and dedicated group of former players who have advised us,” McNabb said. “Some are ex-coaches, some are ex-players and so on. They’ve all been incredibly helpful.”

“This team, the task force helping to form the league, is largely made up of people from Europe who work in our European office, as well as others at headquarters. It’s a real international effort.”

In addition to continuing to map out possible franchise locations and finalize deals with investors during the first half of 2026, the NBA will also continue to provide the Board of Directors with the information needed to explain the impact of this European league regarding finances, revenue share and other managerial aspects of the deal.

The NBA’s main goal at this point is to continue to receive feedback from potential investors in Europe and to take that information back to the current owners and board to discuss things further. Silver and Tatum will continue to provide updates as needed regarding any discussions with the NBA Board of Directors.

Money is always the toughest hurdle to overcome, so talking to the 30 current NBA owners and getting them to agree to certain NBA Europe criteria will be essential to the league’s launch.

After all, the NBA’s creation of a new league in Europe and approaching the next steps of its formation are not only about brand exposure and the creation of a global basketball empire. All of that is obviously important to Silver and those in the league office, but this, like many other inventions and ideas under Silver’s tenure, is about giving basketball fans around the world what they want.

“The learning opportunity with the expansion of NBA Europe is incredible,” explained McNabb. “And working with colleagues from Europe and around the world has been fantastic. What we think we want everyone to know is that all of us working on this big project really want it to serve the fans.”

“We are doing this because we believe there is a better product available to fans that we can grow and celebrate basketball, not just across Europe, but on the global stage.”

With the NBA and its leadership in Europe for two games in Berlin and Paris, discussions will continue with potential investors of NBA Europe and existing top European basketball clubs.