NBA Pushes for $1B Team Valuations as Investor Pitch for Europe League Gains Momentum

FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis (left) and NBA commissioner Adam Silver (right)

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is reportedly courting private capital for a proposed new European basketball league project. Bloomberg reports that the league is pitching potential investors on team valuations of up to $1 billion per franchise as part of its bid to launch an ambitious foothold in the European market.

At the heart of the plan is an effort to establish a permanent franchise structure that could rival existing competitions in Europe, with the NBA offering prospective owners and investors a compelling financial model based on robust media rights, commercial sponsorship growth and franchise valuation growth benchmarks the league has already exceeded domestically in North America.

Sources familiar with the initiative tell Bloomberg that the NBA intends to open a data room for investors in the coming days, providing detailed financial projections and operational frameworks as part of a broader pitch that could kick off with regular-season games staged in London and Berlin. These showcase events are designed not just to grow the sport’s European fan base, but to build investor confidence in a sustained league structure backed by franchise economics.

The structure being discussed reportedly includes 12 to 16 franchises, with a model that would see the NBA retain a 50% ownership stake while the remainder is sold to private equity, institutional investors, and strategic partners. Bloomberg has noted that teams and advisors such as JPMorgan and The Raine Group are already engaged in investor discussions, highlighting the seriousness with which the league is approaching the commercial build-out.

This push occurs against a backdrop of ongoing dialogue between the NBA, FIBA, and European stakeholders, with some EuroLeague clubs reportedly weighing participation while still balancing domestic league commitments. The move has stirred debate within European basketball circles about competitive impact and governance rights, but league executives are framing the proposal as an evolution of the sport’s global commercial architecture.

If executed, the NBA’s Europe league initiative could fundamentally reshape the sport’s structure on the continent, bridging American franchise economics with European market depth, and potentially unlocking new media and sponsorship revenue streams through aligned franchise valuation models.