NBA Europe league gains backing from former NBA stars Gallinari and Bryant

Italian basketball veteran Danilo Gallinari, the NBA’s all‑time leading scorer among Italians, publicly endorsed the NBA’s planned 16‑team European competition slated for the 2027‑28 season. In an interview he contrasted the NBA’s 50% sport/50% business model with Europe’s 80% sport/20% business balance and said the league could help “fix this ratio.” Gallinari, who retired in late 2025, hinted at a possible front‑office or advisory role and expressed interest in franchises for cities such as Rome and Milan.

Former NBA player and Hapoel Tel Aviv star Elijah Bryant echoed a supportive tone, stressing that the NBA’s global distribution and capital could boost European basketball’s business side while preserving its historic rivalries and fan culture. Bryant noted that a 2027 agreement aligning the NBA, EuroLeague and FIBA would be the first such cooperation in decades and argued that the two entities could be “bigger together” if the NBA expands without eroding the sport’s soul.