A London-based investment group featuring former New York Knicks and Utah Jazz executive Dave Checketts has thrown its hat into the ring for an NBA Europe franchise, Sky News reported Tuesday. The bidding war for the league’s London slot now pits multiple heavyweight American sports investors against each other, with the entry price expected to top $1 billion.
The development follows a wave of interest in NBA Europe, the league’s ambitious overseas expansion. Checketts joins a consortium backed by the Lewis family, majority owners of Tottenham Hotspur, alongside the Eccles family of Utah. That family already operates a private sports equity firm with Checketts, launched earlier in 2025.
Meanwhile, Tottenham’s former chairman Daniel Levy has assembled a rival bid through his own private equity vehicle, which includes Liberty Global and MSP Sports Capital. Both groups now compete for the same London territory.
The news comes just two days after reports that Joey and Jesse Buss, former Lakers executives, entered negotiations to purchase ASVEL, the French EuroLeague club owned by Basketball Hall of Famer Tony Parker. The Buss brothers, who left the Lakers after the franchise sold to Mark Walter, founded Buss Sports Capital in September 2025. French media outlet BeBasket reports they are pursuing ASVEL for between $69 million and $92 million, though minority shareholders initially sought $138 million. Talks remain active.
The pattern signals broader enthusiasm among former NBA owners and executives. SBJ reported in June that former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry had also submitted a bid for an undisclosed NBA Europe team when the league closed its application window.
Checketts brings deep international basketball roots to the pursuit. He served as general manager of NBA International 36 years ago, overseeing the league’s first regular season games in Tokyo. His firm, Sports Capital Partners Worldwide, later owned Real Salt Lake of MLS and the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. The Eccles family, his partners in this bid, hold significant stakes in Salt Lake City’s Winter Olympic infrastructure.
