Adam Silver is fully encouraged by the ongoing progress of the NBA Europe project, with the league targeting a launch in 15 months.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the NBA commissioner revealed that he will meet with interested groups during the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday to discuss their proposals for potentially owning an NBA Europe franchise.
"Things are where I hope they would be," Silver said. "Mark Tatum is overseeing the process. We've had tremendous interest from multiple cities in Europe, including cities that we didn't ask for bids from. And we discussed with our board today that we're in the process of finalizing those bids for an initial group of cities. Many of the people involved in the bids, European leaders are going to be in New York for the World Cup final on Sunday. So Mark and I are going to be attending several meetings with them.
"We're hoping to wrap up some of those deals over the next several weeks and then announcements will be forthcoming. I am very pleased with the interest across the board in Europe.”
Adam Silver: NBA Europe on track amid looming meetings with interested bidders
First introduced in 2025, Silver and the NBA announced their plans to expand into Europe with a new league. The project has generated significant interest, receiving more than 120 non-binding proposals, including bids from several investment groups valuing franchises at over $1 billion.
More than 20 basketball and football clubs across the NBA’s 12 targeted cities have expressed interest, with several existing EuroLeague teams among those exploring the opportunity.
The league is set to include 12 permanent teams and four seasonal qualifiers from domestic leagues and FIBA competitions.
The NBA recently brought in former Lithuanian star and longtime league executive Arturas Karnisovas as a consultant for the NBA Europe project.
The former Chicago Bulls vice president will advise Silver and league officials on several key areas, including governance, game rules, talent identification and recruitment, and player development pathways between NBA Europe and the NBA.
