NBA director confirms Milan franchise desire: “We definitely want a team here”

The managing director of the National Basketball Association, George Aivazoglou, has confirmed talks over a Milan-based franchise in the new European league.

According to ESPN, the NBA are targeting October 2027 as a potential launch date for the new Europe-based league. They have been working on it with FIBA – the International Basketball Federation – and more details are expected soon, with Milan and Inter reportedly in talks.

Speaking at an event in Milan, the NBA Europe managing director Aivazoglou hinted at a bit of a soft-launch in 2027 or the year after, because not all of the slots 16-team league would be filled in time given the logistics involved.

The 16-team model will have 12 permanent franchises, Aivazoglou revealed. They envisage London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Munich, Berlin, Athens and Istanbul as possible host cities.

The other four teams in the league could qualify by winning either FIBA’s Basketball Champions League or based on how they do in domestic leagues. Aivazoglou was asked about the Milan-based team.

“We definitely want a team here [in Milan]. The city’s brand is one of the most important in the world. There are two great football teams, there’s a great basketball team, Armani, so there’s no way we can forget Milan when we think about the cities we want in our league.

“There are many conversations underway with the city’s ecosystem to understand what the club and the arena will be like. Milan or Inter? I can’t comment on the ongoing discussions. But I can say that we will have teams in three categories.

“First, we’re talking to some existing basketball teams. Second, we’re talking to football teams that have a strong brand, and therefore a great fan base, but don’t have a basketball team. Many of the most interesting conversations we’re having in this country and in this city are of this type. And there are situations, in very limited cases, where we’ll start from scratch.

“We’re thinking of London and Manchester for the United Kingdom, Paris and Lyon for France, Madrid and Barcelona for Spain, Milan and Rome for Italy, Berlin and Munich for Germany, plus one in Athens and one in Istanbul, to have a balance also with values ​​such as history and tradition.”