After months of speculation, it seems like the NBA is all set to expand its borders. This comes after George Aivazoglou, NBA general manager for Europe and the Middle East, confirmed that the league is set to introduce NBA Europe. While that clears the air around the birth of a new league, it creates several questions, such as what the competition will look like. Or when will it start? But don’t worry, here’s everything you need to know about Adam Silver’s bold plan.

What is NBA Europe, and why is the NBA launching it?

As the NBA continues to grow its presence overseas, commissioner Adam Silver believes that he could use it to make basketball a global game. That is why he has decided to launch a new league in Europe. It all started to take shape earlier this year, in March, when the NBA and FIBA announced their joint exploration of a new professional men’s basketball league in Europe that would help accelerate the sport’s growth across the continent.

However, the new competition’s roots were planted much earlier, with both the NBA and FIBA as potential investors, teams, arena developers, and commercial partners. That’s because Silver doesn’t just want to establish a new league but also aims to dedicate financial support and resources to European basketball. This includes helping club team academies across the continent to help teams develop aspiring players, coaches, and referees.

When will NBA Europe start? Official timeline and updates?

Although it’s been a few months since the international basketball governing body FIBA and the NBA announced that they will be launching NBA Europe, it’s still in the initial phases of its development. So, don’t expect to see the competition at least for a couple of years. Well, don’t take our word for it, Commissioner Adam Silver himself told this to the reporters during an event in Oklahoma City. “I will say it’s measured in years, not months,” he told Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.

“So, we’re at least a couple of 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, and marketing partners. There’s a lot of work to be done.” The NBA’s commissioner revealed that despite them moving with urgency, it takes a lot of effort to launch a new competition.

Silver listed several things that he and the rest of the NBA and FIBA team will have to factor in before moving forward, all the way from figuring out marketing partners to getting approvals and talking to appropriate stakeholders. In fact, these factors are also a reason why it’s hard to single out a final date for the launch of NBA Europe. However, as per the latest updates from L‘Équipe, it’s safe to assume that NBA Europe will start somewhere in 2027. Now, with that confirmed, why don’t we get to know about the teams participating in NBA Europe?

Which teams are likely to join NBA Europe?

The NBA’s expansion is gaining some momentum, and with that, the league has reportedly set its eyes on a few European clubs that it would want to join its massive project. According to a report by The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, Adam Crafton, and Mike Vorkunov, Adam Silver and Co. are closely monitoring four EuroLeague teams– Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, and Fenerbahce Istanbul– as potential clubs to join NBA Europe.

While these are the four European basketball powerhouses, the NBA is monitoring that there has also been reported interest from PSG to join NBA Europe. According to Le Parisien, the league has formally approached Qatar Sports Investments, the owners of Paris Saint-Germain, for a potential opportunity to create a franchise in Paris. What makes this even firmer is the fact that a PSG spokesperson has confirmed the discussion.

“We have expressed interest,” he said in a short statement. It seems like the NBA and FIBA are aiming to develop a mix of existing and new franchises across Europe’s major cities, such as Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, and others. This should give you a clear idea of which teams, or rather cities, could feature in this competition. Which brings us to our next question: what will be the structure, format, and schedule of NBA Europe?

How will NBA Europe be structured? Format, qualification, and schedule

With NBA Europe set to potentially make its debut in 2027 and Adam Silver and Co. looking for potential teams to participate in the competition, it’s only right that they reveal the structure of the tournament. The NBA’s general manager for Europe and the Middle East, George Aivazoglou, shed light on the vision for NBA Europe. “Our vision is a semi-open competition with 16 teams — 12 permanent franchises and 4 qualifying from other competitions, with the Basketball Champions League as a central pathway,” he said.

Aivazoglou not only revealed that NBA Europe will be a 16-team competition, but he also emphasized how it will create opportunities for smaller clubs to achieve unexpected success. “But there will be others. We want to create a pyramid system, similar to football’s Champions League and Europa League. We like that comparison — it’s easy for people to understand, and it rewards performance. We want dreams and Cinderella stories, like Leicester City winning the Premier League in 2016, to still be possible.”

The NBA executive also noted that they’re still deciding on what the schedule could look like. However, it could feature a simple round-robin format, once again drawing inspiration from Europe’s soccer pyramid, where every team plays each other, followed by the playoffs and the finals. That sounds quite interesting to say the least, and also adds another layer of excitement around NBA Europe. But it won’t be a walk in the park for the NBA and FIBA, as they look to launch this historic project.

What challenges does NBA Europe face?

There’s no doubt that NBA Europe sounds like a solid project on paper and in discussion, but establishing a brand-new league is easier said than done. One of the most notable roadblocks in Adam Silver’s way might be the EuroLeague resistance. While NBA Europe might offer more exposure, Europe already has a firmly established league that sees teams all across the continent play each other called the EuroLeague. Due to this, several teams might be reluctant to make the jump.

However, even if they do, right now NBA and FIBA lack infrastructure and support in Europe. Not to mention the financial risks for the potential investors. That’s because over the last decades, the Basketball League Africa and the NBA G League, both founded by the NBA, have yet to earn any profit. In fact, the WNBA, which was founded nearly 30 years ago, is only now starting to show signs of significant profitability. This might be a huge reason why investors might think twice before investing in NBA Europe.

Not just this, despite Adam Silver lauding basketball’s growth across Europe, it’s nowhere near soccer in terms of popularity. “Basketball’s probably the fastest-growing sport in the world right now, and it’s a huge No. 2 sport in Europe behind soccer, so I think there’s a real opportunity,” he said. While what Silver said is true, there’s a stark difference in viewership numbers. So, while the NBA is all set to tip off NBA Europe in just a couple of years, it will be interesting to see how they overcome these challenges.