NBA commissioner Adam Silver says he wants to “tap into” Europe’s football culture as part of the plans for a proposed European basketball league.
Silver says he has spoken to Manchester City and Manchester United, though BBC Sport understands neither intends to have a team should the venture come to fruition.
With a current working title of NBA Europe, the plan is to launch a permanent league across the continent that could start as soon as the 2027-28 season.
As many as 16 teams across the continent could be involved, with a team from both London and Manchester expected to feature.
The league is expected to be made up of new franchises, current basketball teams and football clubs who do and do not currently have associated basketball teams.
“We’re having conversations with everyone, and it’s part of why this process has gone on so long,” Silver told BBC Sport.
“I began speaking publicly around the Paris Olympics, and we wanted to make sure we’ve covered everybody. We’ve talked to all interested parties, we’re covering all areas and all opportunities.”
Silver also confirmed that he has spoken to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris St-Germain as he looks to mix established European teams with new ones.
However, reports say the existing EuroLeague – which features Real and Barcelona – has concerns about the new venture, threatening legal action against the NBA should clubs break existing agreements to take part in the new competition.
But Silver, speaking before the NBA’s first regular season match in London since 2019 on Sunday, feels the already existing strong support of football clubs could play a major role in growing the game across Europe.
“I want to be careful [of] those traditions,” he said.
“That culture is so special, so unique, so long held, I don’t want to fool myself or anybody else potentially involved in this new league that they can be easily transferred.
“At the same time, we want the benefits of that incredible wisdom and knowledge obtained over decades of operation.
“As an American, I see that religious fervour around people’s football clubs here, and we could only be so lucky to tap into that. It’s more singularly focused here. To me, that represents opportunity.
“We don’t come into the market thinking we’re going to take from football. What we see is a large opportunity and entertainment ecosystem, and we’re seeing that all over the world that people are turning to premium live sports.”
