Adam Silver Confirms NBA Interest In Launching Independent League In Europe

Adam Silver met with the media ahead of the NBA Paris Games 2025. As expected, he got questions about the NBA’s interest in expanding to Europe. Silver confirmed the NBA has interest in creating a European league, but that it wouldn’t be as an expansion of the NBA itself.

“We might eventually have NBA franchises here, but it’s not our priority right now,” Silver said. “That’s not something we’re discussing at the moment. We’d need supersonic jets to make it work.”

Silver went on to say the NBA could have a presence in Europe similar to the Basketball Africa League. The NBA commissioner also said this is something the NBA is taking their time with, to make sure they do things in the correct ways.

“We’re moving slowly to ensure that anything we do is accepted by the existing basketball ecosystem,” Silver said. “We’ve been having direct conversations with stakeholders this week. We want to respect the traditions of European sports, no matter what direction we take.

“We’re talking about a competition – probably an independent league separate from the NBA. It would be a European league. What form it takes is still being explored. We’re speaking with various groups to understand what opportunities exist.”