Adam Silver says NBA Europe launch remains on track as EuroLeague talks continue

Silver's confidence in an NBA Europe deal

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on Friday that the league still intends to reach an agreement with EuroLeague as part of plans to launch NBA Europe, calling the negotiation "ongoing" while speaking to CNBC from Macao, China. Silver told CNBC that he expects a deal to come together despite EuroLeague shareholder clubs having rejected a formal merger proposal earlier in the week.

Earlier rejection by EuroLeague clubs

EuroLeague shareholders, a group of 13 clubs that includes Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Olympiakos and Milan, turned down a formal NBA offer to form a merged league that would become NBA Europe, according to reporting carried by CNBC and reproduced by EuropeSays. Silver characterized the rejection as a negotiating step rather than a breakdown, saying negotiations remain active.

Investor interest in the new teams

Silver said the NBA has received bids totaling "many hundreds of millions of dollars" from European basketball clubs, "some of the big soccer brands in Europe" and wealthy individuals interested in buying the 12 permanent NBA Europe franchises earmarked for cities including London, Paris, Rome, Munich, Barcelona, Athens and Madrid. He framed ownership as a "once and forever opportunity to be the NBA team" in those markets.

Target launch window

The NBA is continuing to target an October 2027 launch for NBA Europe, Silver said, while reiterating that the league will move forward with the project even as talks with EuroLeague continue. EuroLeague is described as the existing top-tier pan-regional competition in Europe, sitting above national leagues that Silver said collectively include roughly 1,200 professional clubs.

WNBA exhibition plans for Macao

Silver also confirmed that the NBA is working on sending two WNBA teams to Macao as soon as next season for preseason games in the same arena currently hosting NBA preseason matchups between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets. A person familiar with the matter told CNBC the format would mirror how the NBA stages its international preseason games.

Next verifiable milestone

Silver did not name a deadline for a renewed NBA-EuroLeague agreement; the next concrete checkpoint is the NBA's continued October 2027 launch target for NBA Europe, alongside any further communication on which investors secure the 12 permanent franchises.