The NBA made its offer. EuroLeague’s owners shut the door on it. And now both sides are staring at each other across an Atlantic-sized gap, with a very big question hanging over European basketball.
EuroLeague owners rejected a formal merger offer from the NBA that would have folded the two operations into a single European entity, Barcelona confirmed Wednesday. The decision came Tuesday in Cernobbio, Italy, where the league’s 13 shareholder clubs met—a group that includes Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Olympiakos, Milan, Tony Parker-owned ASVEL, and two Istanbul-based clubs.
The EuroLeague’s own statement said only that the owners met to “discuss and align on key strategic decisions regarding the future of their collective property.” It never mentioned the NBA. Barcelona was far more direct. In an emailed statement to The Associated Press, the club confirmed that president Joan Laporta attended the meeting and that owners rejected the proposal “as it currently stands.” The door isn’t entirely shut, though. “Should that proposal be amended in the future, the clubs and the EuroLeague will reconsider it,” the statement read. How each club voted remains unclear, and the EuroLeague declined to comment.
The NBA Fires Back at EuroLeague
It didn’t take long for the NBA to answer. On Thursday, the league and FIBA, its partner on the developing venture, released a joint statement making clear they won’t be slowed down. A partnership among the EuroLeague, FIBA, and the NBA, they said, would “unlock the game’s enormous potential across Europe for the benefit of clubs, players and, most importantly, fans.” But the two bodies remain “committed to moving forward with a new professional men’s league in Europe,” built alongside partners who share their vision.
That’s a clear message: NBA Europe is happening, with or without the EuroLeague’s blessing.
What’s Really Happening Behind the Scenes
Sources told ESPN the tension between the two leagues is rising after months of talks, but there’s still an open door to negotiate. The NBA presented its formal offer last month after nearly two years of development. EuroLeague leadership met on the banks of Lake Como this week and voted it down, believing it undervalued the league, sources said.
The owners also reportedly discussed expanding beyond the current 13 license holders, a saber-rattling move designed to potentially block the NBA from certain cities and partners. Yet there’s a wrinkle: Multiple EuroLeague members have held extensive talks with the NBA and are believed to be seriously interested in joining a new NBA Europe. Barcelona itself said this week that the club and the league would be open to considering an amended offer from the NBA and FIBA.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, who has been running point on the European project, are in Macao this week for the league’s China Games featuring the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks. They’re busy with meetings and events involving Asian partners, but their focus has been squarely on the situation in Europe.
The NBA, meanwhile, has already collected expansion offers on new franchises throughout Western Europe, has interest from existing teams, and plans a 16-team league that could start as early as 2027.
The EuroLeague itself has its own history of rivalry. It was formed in 2001 after two rival leagues, one of them operated by FIBA, battled each other for a season. It expanded to 20 teams in 2025-26, with seven clubs qualifying through their domestic leagues or via invitation.
