Former Euroleague CEO warns clubs against NBA collaboration terms

Former Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu has advised Euroleague clubs against surrendering control over their future in potential collaborations with the NBA’s planned NBA Europe league. While both organizations express openness to working together, Bertomeu stated that the current terms proposed by the NBA are not attractive and do not constitute a true collaboration based on available information.

The NBA is targeting October 2027 for the launch of NBA Europe, coinciding with Euroleague’s plans to expand for the 2027-28 season. Euroleague CEO Chus Bueno has warned that further fragmentation of European basketball would be “a disaster.”

Currently, the 13 shareholder clubs of the Euroleague govern the competition’s format, financial model, and strategic direction. It remains unclear what authority these clubs would retain under an NBA-led model. While NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum suggested the NBA Europe model offers a “much quicker path to profitability,” Bertomeu cautioned that higher revenues are not guaranteed and that the trade-offs involve more than just financial metrics.