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Adam Silver Sees NBA Europe Possibly Starting in 2028
Vivek Jacob is a freelance sports writer with over seven years experience. During this time, he has written for outlets including The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Sportsnet, CBC, and Complex. Primarily covering the NBA, Vivek also covers tennis, soccer, and cricket.
All posts by Vivek JacobUpdated7 hours ago on June 07, 2025
Speaking at a league event in Oklahoma City, NBA commissioner Adam Silver shared that the association is still years away from a competition that involves Europe in some capacity.
Back in March, Silver and FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis announced plans to form a new league in Europe. The NBA speaks directly with the EuroLeague and some member clubs about a possible partnership.
“I will say it’s measured in years, not months,” Silver said. “So, we’re at least a couple years away from launching. It would be an enormous undertaking. And while we want to move forward at a deliberate pace, we also want to make sure that we’re consulting with all the appropriate stakeholders, meaning the existing league, its teams, European players, media companies, marketing partners.
“There’s a lot of work to be done.”
In that same token, though, Silver did indicate that the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles could serve as the perfect launch pad to start the league.
Silver has previously stated that he would like the 2026 All-Star Game to feature some form of USA vs. World because of the Winter Olympics synergy with new rights holder NBC.
“That might be a good launching pad for an announcement around a new competition,” Silver said.
Details Emerging On NBA Europe
One in every six players now hails from Europe. Serbia’s Nikola Jokic and Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo have accounted for five of the last seven MVP winners. Slovenia’s Luka Doncic and France’s Victor Wembanyama figure to be in the conversation for years to come.
Based on reports, there appears to be a goal of 16 teams for whenever the league begins.
Among the cities expected to be in the mix are London, Manchester, Rome and Munich.
“We haven’t had direct conversations yet,” Silver said. “But there have been several organizations that have come forward and said they would be interested, and potential owners, in operating in those major markets in Europe.”
The next meeting among Board of Governors to advance progress on the league will be in July in Las Vegas.
