Earthquake Incoming: NBA and FIBA Set Date for New League, Ready to Reshape European Basketball – EuroLeague or Not!
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Despite more uncertainties than concrete details, Garbajosa shared his expectations and remains optimistic that this project will indeed materialize, emphasizing that it is not a closed league.
"I've heard people say this NBA project is a semi-closed league. That's not the case. It's a 12+4 project that rewards sporting merit for those four spots. What we have now is what's closed. Leagues and the presidents of major leagues need to understand that we will have common interests because they will be part of the competition. Unicaja, Joventut, Girona… they will all know they'll have a chance to be in a competition that will feature three league champions in NBA Europe, plus the FIBA Champions League winner. It's a fairer system. There's also something very important: schedule alignment. The NBA-FIBA project will respect national team schedules, avoiding situations like those we see with the EuroLeague, which schedules games when national teams are also playing. Basketball is the only sport in the world where this happens. And that's a huge problem." - Jorge Garbajosa
Garbajosa explains that this competition and the NBA aim to shift the current paradigm where clubs often rely on football sections or benefactors, as the NBA approaches with a vision for profitability. He notes that there's excitement among clubs, a sentiment he's gathered from conversations with Tomas van den Spiegel, president of the Union of European Leagues and a member of his executive board. FIBA is also demonstrating its commitment through actions, expanding the FIBA EuroCup from 32 to 48 teams to open doors for other national leagues.
"The FIBA Champions League winner will be able to play in NBA Europe, and then I hear that there will be teams without tradition, that London doesn't have a basketball tradition. And a EuroLeague team was launched in Dubai, and I read there might be another in Abu Dhabi. We can't just set the bar wherever we please."
Regarding the current relationship between FIBA and the EuroLeague and the influence of Chus Bueno, Garbajosa highlights his excellent rapport with Bodiroga and a cordial relationship with Motiejunas. He notes that he and Chus Bueno are friends who discuss pleasantries privately, but that concepts must be clear when it comes to business. According to Garbajosa, two distinct models exist here: one aiming to protect FIBA's sporting ecosystem, and another prioritizing pure business.
When asked about Real Madrid's role and the signals the Madrid club has sent to the NBA, Garbajosa responded that he couldn't comment on specific clubs. However, he added that they are in discussions with many teams and that the structure connecting the FIBA EuroCup, FIBA Champions League, and the NBA based on sporting merit is generating significant excitement among people.
Finally, Garbajosa revealed what fans are most eager to know: when this project might become a reality and the exact implementation plan.
"As we have repeatedly emphasized, and as Mark Tatum, the NBA's Deputy Commissioner, reiterated, the plan is for October 2027, with one spot for the FIBA Champions League winner from the 2026/27 season and three spots to be awarded through a qualifying tournament at the end of the season featuring national league champions. This sporting meritocracy adds value to domestic competitions, which currently don't meet the criteria under the EuroLeague model, and creates a high-value qualifying tournament with the best teams from each country vying for a place in the new NBA and FIBA project in Europe. We are optimistic. And here I return to the message conveyed by the NBA Deputy Commissioner – we are still talking, we are still negotiating, and we hope an agreement can be reached. But this project has its plan and should start in October 2027, with or without the EuroLeague."
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