The NBA makes another move in Europe. Executives from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and AC Milan will meet next Tuesday with representatives from the U.S. league to discuss NBA Europe, according to Sky News. The meeting takes advantage of all of them being in London for the Ballon d'Or gala on Monday, though it remains unclear whether the meeting will be in-person or via videoconference.
Twelve Franchises and Four Merit-Based Spots
The NBA's project involves launching a new competition by the end of next year. The idea is to sell twelve fixed franchises and complete the league with four teams that would enter each season based on sporting merit. The NBA has been negotiating with potential investors for more than six months, and the figures being discussed are enormous: hundreds of millions of dollars per franchise and up to one billion in the case of London.
Read also:
- EuroLeague Closes Ranks at Lake Como: "We're All in the Same Boat"
- 3.4 Billion for Clubs: EuroLeague Bets on Franchise Model
- EuroLeague Meets at Villa d'Este with NBA Offer on the Table
A Showdown with EuroLeague
The meeting has an obvious reading in European basketball. Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern are also shareholders of the EuroLeague, which just two weeks ago approved its own franchise model at Lake Como, with a ten-year business plan that would distribute 3.4 billion euros among clubs. At that summit, Bayern president Herbert Hainer said the goal was for fans around the world to think of the "EuroLeague first." The fact that these same clubs are now sitting down with the NBA shows that the battle for the future of European basketball remains wide open.