EuroLeague shareholder clubs are unlikely to embrace sweeping changes when they meet this week to consider a 10-year strategic plan, experts said Monday, in what could be a pivotal week for European basketball as the NBA explores an expansion into the continent.
Representatives of the 13 permanent EuroLeague shareholder clubs were due to gather in Lake Como on Monday evening ahead of Tuesday’s vote on a fundamental change to the competition’s ownership structure. The proposal would turn the shareholder clubs into franchises and expand the EuroLeague from 20 teams to 24.
The league will also assess 14 bids for additional long-term franchise places, with up to eight spots expected to be awarded through a ballot.
EuroLeague officials say the proposals are designed to strengthen the competition’s financial sustainability and accelerate its long-term growth. But with the NBA increasingly eyeing a presence in Europe, the plans face skepticism from some within the game.
"I don't think it really changes what is on the table today for the 13 shareholders," Lega Basket Serie A President Maurizio Gherardini told Reuters.
The strategic plan aims for an aggregate value of the competition and its clubs of 4.3 billion euros ($4.82 billion) by 2027. In a statement Aug. 25, the EuroLeague said projected year-on-year revenue growth had risen to 15% as a result of new commercial deals.
Despite the positive projections, Real Madrid's basketball division has recorded net losses each year since the 2021-22 season. Barcelona has posted overall net losses for the past three years, and economist Ivan Cabeza told Reuters that the wider EuroLeague model was not sustainable.
"I find it very hard to see how a business like the EuroLeague, which has been, is and very likely will continue to be a money-losing venture, could undergo a radical change," Cabeza said.
This could make the NBA Europe project appealing to clubs primarily focused on football, with the North American league widely expected to launch in 2027, with or without EuroLeague's cooperation.
The Athletic reported last week that NBA Europe Managing Director George Aivazoglou and NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum held discussions with Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and the Spanish duo about becoming member franchises.
Media reports said the NBA had submitted a proposal to the EuroLeague, which confirmed to Reuters last Friday that talks were ongoing between the two sides.
"If someone came along and said, 'Look, I'll give you 800 million euros to take over the franchise so you never lose money again,' that's obviously an attractive proposition," Cabeza said, posing a hypothetical scenario for Barcelona and Real Madrid.
"It's appealing because it solves part of your overall debt problem, stops the financial bleeding and allows you to keep the brand name associated with a partner."
Aivazoglou is poised to give an update on the 16-team competition Thursday in London. Both the NBA and the EuroLeague have confirmed they will forge ahead with their own plans for the 2027-28 season if no agreement is reached.