Real Madrid supremo Florentino Perez will have welcomed commissioner Adam Silver’s trip across the pond earlier this month as the NBA look to expand into Europe.
Plans for a new European competition were outlined earlier this year, but moved up a gear in the last couple of weeks. Silver has been travelling the continent to garner support for the project, with his itinerary including meetings with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
The 63-year-old also met with representatives of Europe’s elite football clubs, including Real Madrid and PSG.
To bring this dream to reality, the NBA would combine existing teams with new franchises in the likes of London, Rome and Paris. European nations Serbia, Greece and Turkey already have a solid basketball stronghold and will be pushing to be included in any competition set up by the NBA.
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Perez open the idea of NBA expansion
And the idea of a European competition will be music to the ears of Real Madrid president Perez, who is open to the idea of the NBA expanding to this side of the Atlantic.
“In basketball, we play many meaningless games. It’s better to play fewer, but higher-quality ones. We've explored the option of a European League, and I dream of seeing Madrid in the NBA,” Perez has said previously.
“I’ve asked for us to be included in the Eastern Conference, but they say it’s too far. The other Spanish teams aren’t as interested, but there are Greek and Turkish clubs with which a European Conference could be formed.
“There are only two NBA clubs with more social media followers than us.”
European expansion faces hurdles
However, the idea has been criticised by one business sports expert, who said: “The NBA is wide open to attack. It’s [largely] playing games in one part of the world; that’s not going to cut it.”
In addition, the NBA itself would face competition from a separate venture headed by Maverick Carter, business partner of the legendary LeBron James, for an international competition involving backers from the US, Saudi Arabia, Macau and Singapore.
Furthermore, any prospect of a European competition set up by the NBA would face strong opposition from the EuroLeague.
The league is recognised as the most prestigious men’s basketball league in Europe, and will challenge the NBA should they seek to set up a new tournament.
Fenerbahce Beko are the current champions of the EuroLeague, winning the title for the second time in their history. Real Madrid have won the EuroLeague a record 11 times in their history but finished seventh in the regular season in 2024/25.
Topics: Basketball, Florentino Perez, NBA, Real Madrid
Ben McAleer