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Recently, the idea emerged that AC Milan and their owners RedBird Capital could embark on a project to bring the NBA to Europe.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, RedBird are one of NBA commissioner Silver’s interlocutors in the latest attempt to accelerate a project that’s been in the works for a year. Over the past four months, the NBA and FIBA have been in talks over expansion into Europe, and Milan could be involved.
The structure
The NBA and FIBA plan for this new league to ideally feature 16 teams, 12 permanent and four that rotate annually based on results.
The 12 permanent teams, as NBA Europe President George Aivazoglou explained in an interview, would be a mix of existing teams, others to be created from scratch, and others born from partnerships with soccer clubs, which would bring a well-known brand and millions of fans to this new league.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are perfect examples of extremely popular soccer teams that are also basketball powerhouses, and it’s no coincidence that the renewed interest in the project emerged after Commissioner Silver met with the White House executives in Paris this week.
The NBA and FIBA are looking to Italy, wanting teams Milan and Rome. While everything would have to be created from scratch in the capital, the most basketball-friendly for the former would be to leverage Olimpia Milano’s 90-year history. However, the Armani-owned club has just renewed its license with the Euroleague.
The new league, however, would not be part of the current NBA, in the sense that Milan would not play against the Boston Celtics or the reigning champions the Oklahoma City Thunder. It would be an independent league entirely.
The cities
Milan, London, Manchester, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Istanbul and Rome are the main cities where the NBA and FIBA want permanent teams, perhaps not all from day one.
In some, synergy with football is crucial: PSG and Manchester City have already been in talks with Silver for some time, interested in joining and expanding their fan base, both for the international funding they bring and the number of fans they already attract.
It’s the same idea behind the involvement of RedBird and AC Milan: the Rossoneri is already a very popular brand in the US and globally, and such direct involvement in the projects, with a permanent franchise, would have incredible resonance.
For the NBA and FIBA, the Italian market is extremely important, with a strong basketball tradition and an already very strong NBA influence: uniting Milanisti with the more than 10 million basketball fans in Italy could be a recipe for success.
The entrance fee
This new league is a blend of European tradition (40-minute games, not 48-minute ones like in the US, and the rules of international basketball, not overseas) and American know-how on how to run a successful league.
While it would partially integrate into the existing landscape, permanent franchises, such as Milan, would eventually acquire a stake in the entire league, sharing profits with the other teams, as in the NBA.
This is why joining will require paying an ‘entry fee’. The numbers are not yet public, but the most reliable figures suggest €500m. There will also be other costs to consider, such as potential upgrades/construction of arenas.
The NBA and FIBA are determined to go all the way. Even though the Euroleague is holding its own for now, the last four months have been more about dialogue than planning, making it clear that a 2026 launch – the idea circulating when this project became public knowledge – is likely unfeasible.
The NBA and FIBA have so far avoided a split with the Euroleague, which is very close to what is supposed to be created but has never really hit the commercial heights hoped for. This is why the new project has been born.
It’s a world and a way of thinking that RedBird and Gerry Cardinale know very well. And that’s also why a marriage, under the right conditions, would be more than ideal. In everyone’s best interests, including Milan.
English (US) ·