The NBA has submitted a formal proposal to the EuroLeague for a potential collaboration on a joint basketball project in Europe, multiple sources confirmed to Eurohoops on Saturday. The move marks a pivotal moment in the long-running negotiations between the two most powerful organizations in professional basketball.
No details about the content of the offer have been disclosed. According to Eurohoops reporter Aris Barkas, the proposal is expected to be discussed internally by EuroLeague management and its clubs and shareholders ahead of a previously scheduled meeting of EuroLeague owners in Italy on October 5.
The development comes just ten days after EuroLeague CEO Chus Bueno told The Athletic that the league had not yet received a formal approach from the NBA. At the time, Bueno said the EuroLeague would welcome a firm proposal and would "evaluate it carefully."
"(EuroLeague and NBA officials) have both publicly stated that we believe collaboration is the best way to grow basketball in Europe," Bueno said then, "and I think there is a shared understanding that the European basketball ecosystem can create more value by working together rather than fragmenting the market."
Both the NBA and the EuroLeague declined to comment on the reported offer. However, as Eurohoops noted, neither organization denied the existence of ongoing contacts — a notable shift from earlier stages of the process when both sides kept a firmer wall of silence around any direct engagement.
Two Parallel Timelines Converge
The offer arrives at a moment when both the NBA and the EuroLeague are actively building their European strategies, but from different starting points.
The NBA has been preparing to launch its own European competition — tentatively known as NBA Europe — targeted at the 2027-28 season. Commissioner Adam Silver and other league executives have repeatedly expressed interest in establishing a permanent footprint on the continent, moving beyond the regular-season games already played in London, Paris, and other European cities.
The EuroLeague, meanwhile, is in the midst of its own expansion. The league plans to grow from 13 current clubs and shareholders to 24 teams, adding eight new permanent franchises. Eleven candidates have already submitted binding offers totaling approximately 700 million euros in franchise fees, with total investment projected to exceed 3.2 billion euros over five years.
These parallel tracks — the NBA's European ambitions and the EuroLeague's expansion — have fueled speculation for months about whether the two entities would compete, coexist, or ultimately find a way to work together. The formal offer suggests the latter option is now actively on the table.
What a Joint Project Could Look Like
Neither side has outlined what a collaboration might entail in concrete terms. The phrase "joint project" is deliberately vague, and industry observers have proposed several models: a merged league structure, a partnership on commercial and media rights, a shared development pathway for European players, or some combination of the above.
The financial stakes are enormous. The EuroLeague's franchise model has already attracted significant capital from investors who see European basketball as an undervalued asset compared to American sports properties. The NBA, for its part, brings global brand recognition, broadcast infrastructure, and a proven commercial engine that could accelerate the monetization of European basketball.
For the clubs, a partnership could offer access to NBA resources and global visibility without requiring them to abandon the structure and competitive framework they have built over decades. For the NBA, collaboration would provide instant legitimacy and a network of established venues, fan bases, and broadcasting relationships across the continent.
The October 5 Meeting
All eyes now turn to the EuroLeague owners meeting in Italy on October 5. The timing of the NBA's offer — arriving just over a week before that gathering — appears calculated to ensure the proposal is part of the agenda and discussion among the league's most powerful stakeholders.
The meeting was already expected to be significant, with the expansion process and the future direction of the league on the table. The NBA's intervention adds a new and potentially transformative dimension to those conversations.
What is clear is that European basketball stands at a crossroads. The sport's two governing forces are, for the first time, engaged in direct and substantive dialogue about the future of the game on the continent. Whether that dialogue produces a landmark partnership or simply reframes the competitive landscape will depend on the details that neither side has yet been willing to share.
Sources
- https://www.eurohoops.net/en/euroleague/2012892/the-nba-offer-for-a-joint-project-in-europe-is-on-the-euroleague-table/
- https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2026/09/nba-reportedly-sends-joint-project-offer-to-euroleague.html
