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Therefore, a return to Europe could make sense for the power forward. "I feel like it's a good question," Yabusele admitted in a conversation with BasketNews. "I definitely don't know what tomorrow is going to be like or anything like that, but I never close my door on anything."
"Obviously, it was hard to come back to the NBA [but once I was here], my mind definitely wanted to stay there, but we'll see when the opportunity presents itself. It's definitely going to be a conversation to have and see what the options are in Europe. We'll see how it goes. I will never say never to anything," Yabusele added.
Silver, the NBA commissioner, is working to stand up a new league in Europe through the deep pockets of sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East, traditional investment firms in the U.S. and Europe, powerhouse European soccer clubs, and a lucrative media rights deal. To begin with, it will be a 16-team league, with 12 teams holding permanent licenses and the other four spots open to virtually any pro team on the continent that can win enough to qualify. The NBA is targeting London, Rome, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, Athens, Istanbul, Manchester (England) and Lyon (France) for cities with licensed, permanent teams.
“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.”
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A major Mike James contract development is set to reshape the European free agency market ahead of the 2026 offseason. According to BasketNews sources, Mike James is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2026, one year earlier than previously anticipated.
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.
Real Madrid appears to be following the path of NBA Europe. The Spanish team, who have yet to renew its EuroLeague contract, could be pioneers in the new project that is on the horizon. As confirmed by Jorge Garbajosa, president of FIBA Europe, on COPE’s Tiempo de Juego program, the Spanish team’s interest is genuine. “We know that Real Madrid has shown interest, and the NBA is in direct, high-level talks with the club,” Garbajosa told COPE. “We know it’s an interesting option for them, as it is for other clubs, as Adam Silver said the other day,” he continued.
Talks between Real Madrid and the NBA have been ongoing for some time , and this interest is now gaining momentum. This new European competition project would be led by FIBA ??and the NBA , although, according to Pilar Casado, many details still need to be finalized despite more progress than has been officially announced.
The game in Berlin served as a platform for Silver to demonstrate on the court that Alba, who left the EuroLeague after several years of very poor results, are fully committed to the project, now with team infrastructure and one of the few NBA-caliber arenas in Europe, the Uber Arena , where the Grizzlies and Magic recently played. In the move to London, another long-standing shadow also appeared: that of Paris Saint-Germain, with its football parent company linked to Qatari money . This business with the Middle East, currently limited by NBA agreements, is one of the obvious areas the American competition is focusing on. However, it seems that PSG is willing to listen… but not to invest, not on a large scale . Not at all, or so it seems right now, anything close to the price for a franchise in the new competition that Bloomberg has just placed at €1 billion .
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To the NBA’s clear advantage, a bidding war could be developing for an NBA Europe franchise in Manchester, England. According to British newspaper City A.M., the Manchester franchise in the region’s basketball Super League -- owned by the U.S.-based Sherwood Family Investment Office -- has joined Manchester City and Manchester United as potential bidders for a slot in the startup, which will feature 14 to 16 teams. A day after Manchester City was reportedly present at an NBA Europe symposium in London on Monday -- even though Man City has no current basketball team -- City A.M. quoted the Super League’s Manchester president Ben Pierson on Tuesday as saying the Sherwoods have been in talks with the NBA and its financial intermediary JP Morgan.
The three largest Real Madrid supporters’ groups—“Berserkers,” “Los Ojos del Tigre,” and “PM La Gran Familia”—have stated their position on the NBA Europe project through a joint statement released on social media. The fans believe that Real Madrid leaving the EuroLeague to join NBA Europe would be a mistake, despite their disagreements with how the EuroLeague is currently run.
Celtics Wire spoke to someone very familiar with the G League as a developmental tool, as well as with FIBA and the coaches who have helped Hugo Gonzalez find his way as a player in Europe. We reached out to Mexico City Capitanes head coach Vitor Galvani to talk about the future of player development with Gonzalez centering the conversation, specifically regarding whether there might be a future for youth leagues as an NBA developmental tool. "I would hope so," said Galvani. "I would hope so."
Telegraph Media Group owner and Liverpool FC investor RedBird Capital Partners is working with the NBA on its plans to launch a European basketball league, City AM can reveal. RedBird, which also owns Italian football giants AC Milan, is playing a prominent role in wooing potential investors and partners in the venture at an exclusive meeting in London today.