NBA Europe’s reported 2028 launch plan faces unresolved EuroLeague talks

NBA Europe is now planned for a 2028 launch, a year later than previously targeted, according to a Guardian report published on 8 October. The proposed competition would have 12 permanent franchises and four places for qualifying teams, but its relationship with the established EuroLeague remains unresolved after EuroLeague shareholder clubs rejected the NBA’s current collaboration offer at a meeting in Italy this week.

The revised launch year and league structure are reported plans, rather than dates and rules formally confirmed by the NBA in the cited accounts. For clubs weighing a franchise bid, and for teams hoping to qualify on sporting results, the distinction matters: the ownership places, entry routes and possible agreement with EuroLeague have yet to be settled.

How NBA Europe’s proposed 16-team league would work

The Guardian reported that a pre-qualifying competition is planned for 2027 to find four temporary members for the inaugural season. They would join 12 permanent franchises in a 16-team league. The report described a system intended to leave some places available through basketball competitions, although the mechanism for promotion has not been confirmed.

The Guardian said the NBA plans to invest about $10 billion over 10 years in the project. That figure describes a proposed investment programme, not money already spent. The newspaper also reported multiple offers for franchise places, with expected prices starting at $500 million and exceeding $1 billion for London. Those figures are reported offers and expectations, not completed sales or final franchise valuations.

Why football clubs are part of the franchise discussions

The Guardian reported that NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum had held talks with executives from Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Milan. A discussion with a club is not a confirmed franchise award. Tatum described interest from several kinds of prospective bidders: investors without basketball franchises, existing basketball clubs, and football clubs with or without basketball teams of their own.

What EuroLeague clubs decided near Lake Como

The most immediate obstacle to a joint competition emerged on 6 October. Reuters reported that representatives of EuroLeague’s 13 permanent shareholder clubs met near Lake Como and rejected the NBA’s current collaboration offer, citing sources familiar with the discussions. Reuters said the rejection did not close the door to a later deal. The NBA did not immediately respond to its request for comment.

At the same meeting, the clubs agreed to move EuroLeague towards a franchise model, according to Reuters’ account of a EuroLeague statement. They stopped short of formally approving an expansion from 20 to 24 teams. That distinction matters because the clubs took a decision on their own competition’s structure while leaving both the expansion and any partnership with the NBA unsettled.

What remains to be agreed before a launch

Reuters quoted a senior sports executive who considered collaboration unlikely to begin before 2028 because organising a competition in time for the 2027–28 season would be difficult. That assessment is consistent with the Guardian’s reported later launch, but it does not amount to a joint announcement or a final agreement between the organisations.

The next decisions concern whether the NBA makes another collaboration proposal, whether EuroLeague proceeds with more long-term licences, and whether the reported NBA Europe timetable and qualifying rules become formal plans. For now, the reported 2028 start and franchise interest describe the NBA project’s direction, while EuroLeague clubs’ rejection of the current offer leaves the shape of any shared competition open.