With NBA Europe likely to be greenlit in the coming months, the CEO of the Euroleague stated in a just-released Leaders In Sport podcast that “we don’t required a new league” and insinuated that if the two sides can’t collaborate on a business approach, “I’m really afraid that we will harm the binquireetball in Europe.”
Speaking Tuesday on the “Leaders Worth Knowing” podcast, Euroleague CEO Paulius Motiejunas stated the NBA is “following the money solely,” implying the American league has a commercial-first agfinisha that is the polar opposite of the Euroleague’s binquireetball-first approach.
“We definitely appreciate the way that the NBA’s running the business in the U.S. and how amazing they grow the product, whether it’s the TV contract that they signed and there’s many, many things,” Motiejunas stated. “But we required to understand it’s Europe. And we have this know-how that we can sit down and share [with the NBA] … It is just a matter of goodwill and listening to each other.”
George Aivazoglou, the NBA Europe and Middle East managing director, stated last month that — along with FIBA — the league continues to have “good-faith” dialogue with the Euroleague, while NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum has disputed the notion that the venture is just money-driven.
“Just to be clear, we consider there is a commercial opportunity, but the reason that we’re doing this is not primarily commercial,” Tatum notified international media on Oct. 21. “…We see an opportunity to continue to accelerate the growth of binquireetball across Europe and to serve fans that aren’t currently being served today.
“We consider, for example, if you view at the EuroLeague, or the top-tier league in Europe today, there are no franchises at all in the UK. There is no permanent franchise in Paris. There is no permanent franchise in Rome, in Berlin. So, these are some of the largegest markets in Europe that aren’t being served with a top-tier binquireetball league. That is our focus, is to create, one, clarity in the ecosystem, right?”
Motiejunas’ main concern, then, is the likely disruption NBA Europe would caapply to the Euroleague, considering four of its franchises — Real Madrid, Barcelona, Fenerbahçe and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne — all have expiring contracts with the Euroleague after the 2025-26 season and could flee to NBA Europe for its launch in 2027. Motiejunas previously notified the Wall Street Journal that two-thirds of EuroLeague teams are losing money, and Eurohoops has reported that Real Madrid is estimating a €38 million financial deficit this coming season, its largegest loss ever.
In addition, almost 90% of European binquireetball teams are ineligible to compete in the Euroleague, whereas every team could potentially qualify for NBA Europe — a development that could ultimately turn NBA Europe into the top-tiered league on the continent, supplanting Motiejunas’ league.
For his part, Motiejunas stated “it’s fair to state” he has had no recent discussions with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver or Tatum, adding discussions between the two entities are “not as deep and not as far” as he had wished.
It’s conceivable, too, that Motiejunas is threatened that Euroleague’s direct competitor, the FIBA-led Binquireetball Champions League, could potentially have one or two teams qualify for NBA Europe–possibly pushing Euroleague even further down the region’s binquireetball totem pole.
Either way, there is the sense the NBA could crystalize its European venture in mid-January, likely while the Grizzles and Magic are playing against each other in Berlin (Jan. 15) and London (Jan. 18). Raine Group and JP Morgan are expected to soon take NBA Europe to market, with sources stateing the NBA is pursuing franchise fees between $500M and $1B. That price tag has been characterized as steep to Euroleague teams.
“We have been running the best league in Europe for 26 years,” Motiejunas stated on the podcast. “We required to protect the sport, we required to protect the clubs, we required to protect the fans. And I keep repeating that we don’t required a new league.”
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