FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa confirmed that the NBA is exploring a partnership with FIBA to expand into the European basketball market: "The NBA has stated anything organized in Europe will be done in collaboration with FIBA."
Rumors about the NBA's potential entry into European basketball are getting louder and louder and can no longer be dismissed as mere backroom chatter.
FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa recently confirmed that NBA commissioner Adam Silver and his team are preparing to make a move to the Old Continent, with FIBA playing a key role rather than the EuroLeague.
"I'm convinced that there's a reality because Mr. Silver doesn't talk for the sake of talking," Garbajosa told Jesus Sanchez of MARCA. "He said it because it's true. They believe that there's a clear opportunity in Europe. With a great product, with great teams and brands like Real Madrid, Panathinaikos, and Fenerbahce, the threat of non-sustainability looms large.
"What isn't sustainable will eventually disappear," the Spanish executive went on to say. "Given the vast fan base, public and private support, and rich tradition, why aren't we making European basketball more attractive and commercially viable?"
Garbajosa believes the NBA has identified weak points in the current European basketball landscape and is poised to respond.
"The NBA has detected a weakness and has decided to come," he noted. "We don't know how or when this will happen, but it's coming. We're proud that the NBA has stated anything organized in Europe will be done in collaboration with FIBA. They hold FIBA's reputation in high regard and believe in our organization."
The tension between FIBA and the EuroLeague has become a familiar issue in European basketball, with players often caught in the crossfire of overlapping schedules due to club and national team commitments.
"I think that 13 clubs [EuroLeague shareholders] cannot decide the fate of 600 European clubs," Garbajosa stated. "A better alignment of interests will benefit everyone involved. There are still commercial opportunities in Europe that remain untapped, and we must work together to develop basketball wherever it exists."
Additionally, the EuroLeague has announced that for the first time, its Final Four will be held outside Europe, in Abu Dhabi, in May 2025.
"That's a decision for the EuroLeague to make, and I won't judge it," Garbajosa remarked. "However, I believe there are plenty of locations in Europe that could host such an event. ... If you have to leave your own continent, that's something you're not doing well. Europe is a basketball continent full of opportunities for this sport."
