NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said the ideal outcome for NBA Europe would be to partner with the EuroLeague on the new venture, which is expected to launch ahead of the 2027/28 season. EuroLeague CEO Chus Bueno, a longtime former NBA executive, also views that scenario as potentially being mutually beneficial.
However, an agreement has yet to be reached between the NBA and the EuroLeague, and Bueno tells Streisand Neto of Reuters that the EuroLeague would only be interested if it makes sense for both parties. Bueno reiterates that the EuroLeague is open to partnering with the NBA to avoid direct competition, but the league is also prepared to continue on its own.
“If we don’t get a deal in Europe, we’re going to compete in Europe … that’s the discussion that we had internally, and if we have to, we’re ready,” said Bueno, EuroLeague CEO since February 2026. “It has to be a partnership that works for both of us, not just for one of us.
“We know the NBA can help operate things so we should follow the NBA and they should follow the local IP (brand value) of clubs because they’ve been on the ground for 100 years and they can bring also a lot to the table for the NBA.”
The EuroLeague is in talks with several major European cities about possible expansion franchises, according to Bueno, who says Paris, London, Naples and Milan are among the locations in consideration. The EuroLeague plans to expand from 20 to 24 teams in 2027/28 after adding eight new permanent franchises.
“If you have two leagues … this is going to create fragmentation of the value, institutionally but also commercially, in media rights, fan attendance,” Bueno said of NBA Europe. “We both said that if we don’t have a deal, we have to keep going with our plans. So, as you know, they keep going through the process, and I keep going with my plan.”
