NBA expects to pick Europe team owners within 90 days
Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum told CNBC that NBA Europe remains scheduled for an October 2027 launch with 12 permanent teams.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
The NBA expects to choose owners for its planned European teams within the next 60 to 90 days, Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum told CNBC. The decision would move the league closer to launching NBA Europe in October 2027, a project aimed at building a larger commercial business around basketball on the continent.
Tatum said bids for the teams are due at the end of June. The NBA is seeking owners and operators willing to spend on facilities, including new arenas, because Tatum said Europe has only “two to three” basketball venues he considers world class.
The planned league would include 12 permanent teams in major European markets: Rome, Milan, London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Munich, Athens and Istanbul. Four additional places would rotate each year and be open to FIBA-affiliated European clubs based on performance, according to Tatum. FIBA is basketball’s international governing body.
Tatum told CNBC the NBA is speaking with several types of potential owners. That includes existing basketball clubs, soccer organizations that do not currently operate basketball teams, and individual or institutional investors interested in buying into the sport.
The effort reflects the NBA’s view that European basketball has a large audience but a relatively small business base. Tatum said basketball is Europe’s second-most popular sport and estimated the continent has about 300 million basketball fans. He also said the sport accounts for less than 1% of the commercial market there.
The NBA is also considering ways to connect the new European competition with its North American league. Tatum said NBA Europe teams could play teams from the United States and Canada in preseason games at first. Over time, he said, teams from the two leagues could meet in the Emirates Cup, the NBA’s in-season tournament that began in 2023.
Media rights are another part of the plan. Tatum told CNBC that NBA officials have had many talks with potential broadcast and streaming partners, including major global streaming companies. He said the league sees NBA Europe as a product with appeal beyond Europe, and that potential distributors have shown interest in carrying the games internationally.
Tatum also used the CNBC interview to promote the Basketball Africa League to investors. The BAL has operated for six seasons, and the NBA has recently started selling individual teams to investors, according to CNBC.
Tatum said the BAL currently contributes $250 million in gross domestic product to Africa and estimated that figure could reach $5.4 billion by 2034. He pointed to Africa’s economic and demographic growth, saying 11 of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies are on the continent and that Africa is expected to account for more than 40% of the world’s youth within five years.
For the NBA, both projects fit a broader push to expand basketball’s business outside North America. The European plan is the more immediate one, with the bid deadline approaching and ownership decisions expected later this year.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.