Hall of Fame big man Pau Gasol is being considered for a “prominent role” in the NBA’s proposed European league, reports Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Gasol was one of the featured speakers at a meeting commissioner Adam Silver hosted on Monday in London regarding the project, which is tentatively titled NBA Europe.
“This is a very unique opportunity,” Gasol told the crowd. “It’s all about learning from each other. It’s all about creating this new venture together. Yes, we’re talking about (the) league, but this goes far beyond. It is about the ecosystem, it’s about the grassroots, it’s about the domestic leagues and it’s about the impact on the children. … There’s so much at stake, and that’s why I think this is so important and so impactful, and why I’m so excited to be a part of it too.”
According to Vardon, representatives from several EuroLeague teams and executives of soccer clubs that do not have basketball teams were present at the meeting. Many other potential sponsors and investors attended as well.
We have more on the NBA’s European project, which would theoretically tip off in 2027/28:
- Silver has been eyeing wealthy investors from the Middle East to start the new league, write Vardon and Eduardo Tansley of The Athletic. Sovereign wealth funds can currently control a maximum of 20 percent of NBA teams, but that rule won’t apply to the European venture. “We’re talking to families that currently invest in sports,” Silver said. “In addition to talking to wealth funds, there’s more traditional investment funds that have had some experience investing in sports and then some just more traditional, home private equity funds that see sports as an asset class. So just to be clear, we are open to different forms of capital.”
- Silver says he has talked to English soccer giants Manchester City and Manchester United about potentially joining the league, but neither club intends to have a team, per Jonty Colman of BBC Sport (hat tip to BasketNews). “We’re having conversations with everyone, and it’s part of why this process has gone on so long,” Silver told BBC Sport. The cities of London and Manchester are expected to have teams if the league comes to fruition, Colman notes.
- Aris Barkas of Eurohoops shares the six EuroLeague teams that attended Monday’s private meeting.