Adam Silver mentioned {that a} new basketball league in Europe backed by the NBA and FIBA might launch by 2027 or 2028.
Silver, who admitted that the date is “bold, little doubt about it,” added that no agency date has been finalized.
“I do not assume I would need to go for much longer than ’28,” Silver mentioned as a convention hosted by Entrance Workplace Sports activities. “The chance is now to do one thing like this.”
Plans for the league have been introduced in March. JPMorgan Chase and Raine Group have been introduced in final month to advise on its creation.
The league is predicted to have 16 groups, which would come with a mixture of current golf equipment like Actual Madrid and soccer manufacturers like Manchester Metropolis and Paris Saint-Germain.
“I’d say I am keen about it,” Silver mentioned.
Silver added that he and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum have had constructive discussions with political leaders, groups, and different potential stakeholders over the creation of the league.
“Basketball’s most likely the fastest-growing sport on the planet proper now, and it is an enormous No. 2 sport in Europe behind soccer, so I believe there’s an actual alternative,” Silver mentioned.