Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
“The NBA’s ambitions to expand into Europe represent a massive opportunity for the U.K.,” said Lisa Nandy, secretary for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in the U.K. “Franchises could deliver billions of pounds in economic growth and create jobs, but just as importantly, they would bring unforgettable moments for fans right here on home soil. We’re excited to work with the NBA as plans progress.”
NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum has now explained why the league is pushing forward with the project and which markets it views as priorities. "If you're a fan, it's hard to follow professional basketball in Europe. It's easy to follow the NBA, but it's hard to follow European basketball," Tatum told Sportico. "Top tier at EuroLeague is missing some of the biggest commercial markets in Europe. There's no top-tier team in the UK at all, and the UK is the biggest market in Europe. There's no top-tier basketball team there: in London, in Manchester. "There's no permanent top-tier team in the top league there in Paris, in Berlin, in Rome," the executive went on to say. "So, they're missing the biggest commercial markets, which is why they are not able to commercialize basketball.
"Our idea is to create this league – call it 12 to 16 teams – with the biggest countries having permanent franchises. Call it the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, or France. Two teams in each one of those markets that we know with certainty will have franchises there, and then we'll open it up to the rest of the ecosystem."
Khan has also set up taskforce designed specifically to help to grow British basketball that includes representation from various bodies across sport, governance and basketball. "100% basketball can sort itself out," said London Lions CEO Lenz Balan, part of Khan's taskforce. "There are a lot of positive things even independent of NBA Europe and EuroLeague and Fiba being interested in our league and that's driven by the clubs themselves and the Super League Basketball. "There's capital coming in, there's expertise coming into the ecosystem. I think everybody within the SLB is sort of on the same page."
Jeremy Sochan on why he plays for Poland and not the UK: I'm going to be honest. I was playing for both teams. I went to Copenhagen I think with England, had a great tournament. At the same time I was playing for Poland. I had a good tournament there. You got to balance it out. And I looked at both options and we got to be honest, at the time I had way more opportunities with Poland whether it was games, training camps, testing, just exposure level to other European clubs, countries… It was on a different level at the time. It's a shame again if they were the same opportunities, what would I pick? I'm not sure. I can't tell you that. With Poland all the camps were free, the flights were free, whereas with England, it’s a struggle.
Advertisement
The O2 Arena will host the Memphis Grizzlies’ regular season home game against Orlando Magic in late January after the NBA took a six-year hiatus from the UK. Its return, combined with the match in Manchester in 2027, is expected to contribute £100m to the UK economy.
British sports streaming giant DAZN is in advanced talks to acquire a majority stake in Main Street Sports Group, the big regional sports broadcaster in the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter. A deal could be announced as soon as January, if the talks don’t hit any snags, the people said.
NBA Europe managing director George Aivazoglou confirmed that the project will launch in October 2027, adding that teams from Rome, Milan (Italy), London, Manchester (United Kingdom), Paris, Lyon (France), Madrid, Barcelona (Spain), Berlin, Munich (Germany), one team from Athens (Greece) and Istanbul (Turkiye) will be playing in the competition.
FIBA has officially lifted the suspension preventing Great Britain from fielding a men’s national team, clearing the way for participation in the upcoming World Cup qualifying cycle — but the governing authority over domestic men’s competitions in Great Britain remains unresolved. FIBA has confirmed that the British Basketball Federation (BBF) is once again eligible to enter its men’s national team into senior international competitions, including the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers, which begin on November 27, 2025.
Also, while speaking about the markets with permanent franchises, he named seven countries. “In phase one, our plan is Spain, UK, France, Italy, Germany, maybe Turkey, and maybe Greece. But there will be some open spots in the ecosystem, so in the early phase, they will be able to qualify,” he replied to a question about NBA Europe featuring teams from Israel and the Middle East, which, for the moment, can’t aim for a permanent spot.
Advertisement
The U.K. government and NBA have teamed up to expand recreational basketball in England through an investment of 10 million pounds ($13.7 million) ahead of the possible launch of an NBA-affiliated league in Europe. The funds will go toward building courts and providing more playing opportunities for women, girls, people with disabilities and ethnic minorities, the government and NBA said Wednesday.
To be exact, the newly licensed GBBL sent the following statement to the British outlet “Yorkshire Post,” in which they confirmed that the new British League will delay its tip-off until 2027, “coinciding with the anticipated first season of NBA Europe.” The full statement is the following: “GBB League Ltd. (GBBL) will launch the first season of its new British basketball league in September 2027, coinciding with the anticipated first season of NBA Europe, and to provide sufficient time to work with the British Basketball Federation (BBF), the Home Country Associations and the British basketball community to prepare for the launch of a new elite academy for young players who will represent the future of the Great Britain National Team. Two NBA Europe teams – based in London and Manchester – are expected to compete in GBBL’s new league.”
The full statement is the following: “GBB League Ltd. (GBBL) will launch the first season of its new British basketball league in September 2027, coinciding with the anticipated first season of NBA Europe, and to provide sufficient time to work with the British Basketball Federation (BBF), the Home Country Associations and the British basketball community to prepare for the launch of a new elite academy for young players who will represent the future of the Great Britain National Team. Two NBA Europe teams – based in London and Manchester – are expected to compete in GBBL’s new league.”