NBA “Extremely Encouraged” By Bids For European Franchises

NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said he’s “extremely encouraged” by the bidding process for franchises in the new European league, according to the league’s official Twitter account.

The latest bids for NBA Europe franchises were due on Monday, and they came in at $500MM or higher in each of the 12 target cities, with multiple bids exceeding $1 billion, Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen reports. Initial bids were due March 31, and in the latest round, multiple bids came in at more than double their first offer.

Bids were made by more than 20 existing basketball and soccer clubs, including current EuroLeague teams, according to Badenhausen’s sources. The NBA will now take the bids to its Board of Governors to determine who will own the franchises.

The NBA and FIBA plan to launch the league in October 2027 with 12 permanent franchises, along with four clubs that will rotate slots via competition in other FIBA circuits. The 12 target cities include Athens, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; Berlin; Istanbul; London; Lyon, France; Madrid, Spain; Manchester, England; Milan; Munich; Paris; and Rome.

“We’re extremely encouraged by the final bids we received for permanent franchises,” Tatum said in the statement. “This will be the biggest influx of capital European basketball has ever seen, and we have clear front-runners in each of our 12 target cities, including many existing basketball and football clubs. We will now work with the NBA and FIBA Boards to finalize the long-form agreements.”

The current unnamed EuroLeague teams that placed bids have exit clauses in their agreements that would allow them to leave the league for NBA Europe. Current NBA owners are not allowed to own teams, but multiple former owners are part of ownership groups that submitted bids, Badenhausen notes.

The NBA is committed to funding all of the new league’s losses as it gets off the ground, Badenhausen adds. The NBA will take a cut of league revenue once there is positive net revenue with franchises expected to break even by year 3.