NBA Europe: More Than 20 Interested Parties for New League – Berlin and Munich in the Running

German Applicants in the Running

From Germany, Berlin with basketball club Alba Berlin and Munich with FC Bayern — which fields top teams in both football and basketball — are considered the strongest candidates for one of the twelve permanent spots. This would give the Bundesliga two prominent new anchors in European top-flight basketball alongside the existing competition.

Mark Tatum, Deputy Commissioner of the NBA, expressed his delight at the interest received. He said: "Wir sind äußerst erfreut über die eingegangenen finalen Angebote für die permanenten Franchises in einer neuen, von der NBA und der FIBA unterstützten Liga in Europa. Sie spiegeln das enorme Interesse und die Dynamik dieses Projekts wider." He did not provide specific figures on the bidders or the distribution of spots.

Statements from the NBA and NBA Europe

George Aivazoglou, who heads NBA Europe, told the German Press Agency that talks have noticeably picked up pace. "Die Gespräche sind nun richtig in Schwung gekommen. Wir werden uns in ein paar Wochen wieder treffen, und dazwischen wird es wahrscheinlich noch den einen oder anderen Austausch geben, aber es gibt noch einiges zu tun", said Aivazoglou. He also stressed that the NBA and FIBA would pursue their plans even without the Euroleague.

It therefore remains to be seen how the Euroleague,これまで the most important European club league, will position itself going forward. For years regarded as the showcase of European club basketball, it now faces a structured rival project based on permanent franchises and clear qualification pathways.

Open Questions and Outlook

With its format of permanent spots and an additional Champions League, the NBA is pursuing a model reminiscent of North American professional sports: stable structures, predictable revenues, and clear brand-building. Applicants, in return, expect economic prospects, international visibility, and access to the NBA's global marketing apparatus.

It is currently unclear which clubs will ultimately prevail and how the European basketball landscape will be reshaped. According to Aivazoglou, the next rounds of talks in the coming weeks are expected to provide further clarity before the league officially launches in October 2027.

With the planned October 2027 start date, bidders and the league still have a good 15 months to finalize the organizational, sporting, and economic foundations of the new competition.