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NBA Europe project: how far have we come? The thoughts of the'Olimpia

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The NBA Europe project has come into full swing. We have entered a crucial phase with the’NBA defining the course of action to kick off the new tournament. The’idea would be to kick off the new format in 2027 but, in order to arrive ready for that date, we need everything to proceed properly. In addition to the “choice” of franchises, it is also necessary to find a meeting point with the’Euroleague (at the moment the two realities are at antipodes) and convince everyone of the goodness of the project, despite the very high initial investment.

Fabrizio PonciroliStar parade in Berlin for NBA super challenge: images

Star parade in Berlin for NBA super challenge
Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic played each other at the Uber Arena in Berlin.
To witness the NBA super challenge there'were so many well-known personalities
Jürgen Klopp was sitting next to Leipzig champion Johan Bakayoko
The two spoke at length during the showdown between Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic
Not too far away Thomas Müller and Mats Hummels were also seated.
The two great friends decided to participate together in the spectacular event
Jürgen Klopp and Mats Hummels exchanged a few words before the'start of the match
The images of Thomas Müller’s jacket immediately went viral on the web
Many have joked about the fantasy of the jacket: "I love you Thomas, however I get a headache looking at you" wrote a user on X
"Couldn’t his wife recommend another outfit for the evening?" wrote another
On the stands there'was also content creator Soren Aulbach with Anica Zimmerman

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Adam Silver, NBA commissioner, in Berlin for the first leg of the NBA&#8217s 2026 European tour, was clear: “I think in any startup project, at least in the initial phase, the funding could come from the franchises that are part of the league. The participants would be the investors, hoping for a return in the future. I believe it will take time before it becomes a sustainable commercial enterprise. I think all participants recognize that it is not an initiative for those with a short-term perspective.”

For its part, the’Euroleague, through the words of CEO Paulius Motiejunas, responded in a “piquant” manner to the words of Adam Silver: “We have only heard about the project and witnessed the fireworks about how great it will be, how much potential there is but having a project is one thing, implementing it is quite another thing. We’ve been here for 26 years, we know how basketball works in Europe,” the words of Euroleague’s number one.

In short, no common ground at the moment. Meanwhile, clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, they report from Spain, seem to have already decided that they want to leave the Euroleague to join the new NBA Europe project, even if it were to cost a disproportionate amount (rumored investment of $500 million).

The Euroleague has already decided to leave the Euroleague.

In Italy, in addition to Rome, which is looking forward to returning to the basketball that counts, there is the question of what Olimpia Milano will do. President Ettore Messina is the man who has been tasked by the Biancorossa ownership with evaluating whether to choose NBA Europe and ditch Euroleague. The Gazzetta dello Sport also spoke of “connections” with soccer club Milan. The coming months will be decisive, one way or the other.

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