NBA to Explore Potential European League With FIBA Partnership, Adam Silver Says

NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed that the league is officially looking into expanding overseas.

Silver told reporters on Thursday that the NBA is exploring a partnership with FIBA that will create a European league.

"We feel now is the time to move to that next stage," Silver said, per The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov. "At our board meeting today there was enthusiastic support from our club owners about continuing to explore this opportunity."

Silver told reporters that the early idea is for the league to consist of 16 teams, 12 of which would be permanent members and four spots that will be open to move in and out of through qualifying. He added that he would want a salary-cap system in place, and NBA owners would be allowed to own equity in the league but not in individual clubs.

Vorkunov reported along with Joe Vardon and Adam Crafton of The Athletic that the NBA's expansion league could include "deep-pocketed investors, some defectors from the established EuroLeague and new franchises in major markets like Paris and London."

Silver reportedly "spent several days in Paris in January meeting with potential stakeholders in the league and people across European basketball." At the time, he expressed confidence that the NBA will be able to establish itself in a new market.

"I recognize there’s enormous history and tradition here in European basketball, and we want to respect those traditions," Silver said in Paris in January. "Obviously, the United States is used to closed leagues; Europe is used to open leagues with promotion, relegation, etc. So we’re looking at all those facets.

"But having had this long history from our operation of sports leagues, largely in the United States and a little bit elsewhere, seeing what’s happened in Europe, not just in basketball but in soccer, as well, it gives us the opportunity to say, all right, let’s take a fresh look; what are the most effective practices for creating a commercially viable league."

A partnership between NBA and FIBA would challenge the EuroLeague for basketball supremacy across the pond.