NBA Receives Multiple $1B+ Bids for Europe League Franchises

The National Basketball Association has received multiple nonbinding investment proposals exceeding 1 billion each for permanent franchises in its proposed NBA Europe league, following a deadline that passed Tuesday night.

NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum confirmed the strong response in a statement, noting that the league had attracted significant interest from more than 120 prospective teams and investors. "The level of engagement and the scale of the bids reflect the marketplace's belief in our proposed model and the enormous, untapped potential for European basketball," Tatum said. "We will now review the bids in more detail and shortlist the partners who share our vision and commitment to accelerating the growth of the game across the continent."

The NBA is seeking investments ranging from 500 million to 1 billion for licenses to operate the 12 permanent franchises, depending on the market. Several bids fell within that range, while others surpassed the top end. The targeted host cities include London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Munich, Athens and Istanbul. These teams would form the core of a 16-team competition, joined annually by...