NBA Europe Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: International Players, NBA Europe, Taxpayers, More

October 21st, 2025 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Highlighting some of the storylines and potential milestones to watch as the 2025/26 NBA season gets underway, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press observes that the league is setting a series of records related to international players this fall.

According to Reynolds, there are a record 135 players born outside of the U.S. on the league’s 30 opening night rosters. Of those 135 players, 71 are from Europe, which also represents a new high watermark. In total, 43 non-U.S. countries are represented on NBA rosters, tying a league record, Reynolds writes, and each team has at least one international players on its roster.

The rising level of talent from Europe and elsewhere around the world is one reason why the NBA has been moving forward on plans to launch a new professional league based in Europe. According to Aris Barkas of Eurohoops, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told reporters this week that the goal is to get NBA Europe off the ground within the next couple years. Tatum also specifically identified seven countries the league is eyeing for permanent franchises in that league.

“In phase one, our plan is Spain, U.K., France, Italy, Germany, maybe Turkey, and maybe Greece,” Tatum said. “But there will be some open spots in the ecosystem, so in the early phase, (others) will be able to qualify.”

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Fourteen of the NBA’s 30 teams will open the season as projected taxpayers, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), though he acknowledges that number will certainly change in the coming months. The Raptors (over the luxury tax line by just $772K), Nuggets ($402K), and Suns ($274K) are among the prime candidates to duck out of tax territory by February’s trade deadline.
Keith Smith of Spotrac also takes look at teams’ cap situations around the NBA, identifying where every club is operating relative to the aprons, tax line, and salary cap.
In an extensive preview of the 2025/26 season, a panel of ESPN writers ranked all 30 teams entering the year, from the Thunder at No. 1 to the Wizards at No. 30.
Within the past year, several NBA stars have taken on general manager or assistant GM roles with their alma maters, including Stephen Curry at Davidson, Trae Young at Oklahoma, and Damian Lillard at Weber State. Lindsay Schenll of The Athletic explores that trend, noting that the titles are mostly ceremonial but that those stars are willing to help fundraise, recruit, or do whatever else the program might ask of them. “I may not talk to every recruit, but if there is a high-level recruit, you best believe I’m gonna talk to the kid,” Young said. “If there’s a kid I feel like we’re not going after hard enough, I might bring it to their attention. … I’m not gonna overstep. But there’s definitely opinions I’m gonna mention.”
Sovereign wealth funds based in Abu Dhabi and elsewhere in the Middle East have become increasingly involved in the NBA as investors in recent years. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explores how this partnership between the league and those investors came about and where it’s headed in the future.

And-Ones: Pierce, Mosley, Daigneault, NBA Europe, Project B

October 11th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Celtics star Paul Pierce was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of driving under the influence after he was found asleep behind the wheel on U.S. Highway 101 in Los Angeles, per an Associated Press report.

California Highway Patrol officers, who were responding to the scene of an unrelated car crash in the area, saw Pierce’s Range Rover nearby after they reopened the four affected highway lanes, according to a press release. Pierce was asleep and showed “signs of alcohol impairment,” prompting the officers to conduct a DUI investigation and arrest him on a misdemeanor charge.

Pierce, a 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer who won a title with Boston in 2008, has been out of the NBA since 2017, but has worked in broadcasting roles for ESPN and Fox Sports since then.

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

While nothing has been set in stone yet, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley and Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault are two names to watch as potential candidates for Team USA’s coaching staff when Erik Spoelstra takes over coaching duties, sources tell Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
The EuroLeague, the NBA, and FIBA met again this week as the NBA and FIBA continue to explore the potential creation of a European league. In the wake of Wednesday’s meeting, the EuroLeague released a statement that thanked the NBA for “constructive dialogue” but said the proposal for collaboration the EuroLeague presented at the previous meeting has yet to receive “any meaningful response.” According to Alessandro Luigi Maggi of Sportando (Twitter link), the NBA views the model proposed by the EuroLeague as unsustainable.
While Maverick Carter is no longer part of the proposed basketball league known as “Project B,” other organizers and investors are moving forward with plans for the global league, according to Sam Amick, Mike Vorkunov, and Vardon of The Athletic, who share the latest details. Project B co-founder Grady Burnett tells The Athletic that the goal is to launch a women’s basketball league next fall, with the goal of setting up a men’s league as well. “We’re going to focus on the women’s side at this point,” he said. “I think it’s natural to assume that we will do other things after that.”

And-Ones: Silver, NBA Europe, Lopez, Milton

October 4th, 2025 at 12:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Speaking at the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum (Twitter video link via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic), commissioner Adam Silver suggested teams competing in NBA-run leagues in other continents could eventually participate in official NBA games.

“You could imagine teams from Europe, potentially Africa, competing in (the NBA Cup),” Silver said (transcript via Eurohoops). “You possibly could see teams coming into our playoffs, top seeds from other leagues.

“But over time, I think, for example, certainly in Europe, as plane travel gets faster… I’m reading all the time about more opportunities in aviation. When I think of the flight from New York to LA, for example, there’s no reason that if we had four teams in Europe, you couldn’t travel, play the Knicks or Nets, travel to London, play three or four times in Europe, and come back home. So I think it’s very doable in our league.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

In an interview with Eduardo Tansley of The Athletic, NBA Europe and Middle East managing director George Aivazoglou discussed the three types of teams that could join the NBA’s proposed European league, as well as its big-picture goals. “I hope we establish European basketball from a sporting competitive level at the top, almost on par, in terms of interest as European football,” the Greek executive said. “We want to create a new era, an innovative product that would attract audiences from all over the world and across all demographics, not just hardcore basketball fans, who would also be very happy watching it. And (we hope) to ensure that the development of the talent grows even stronger, and ensure that the value that gets created gets redistributed to the European basketball ecosystem so that it continues to improve.” Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops passes along some other highlights from the interview for those who don’t subscribe to The Athletic.
Eric Gomez of ESPN.com recently wrote a feature story on projected 2026 lottery pick Karim Lopez, who could be the first Mexican first-rounder in NBA history. Lopez, a 6’9″ forward who plays for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League, hopes his favorite player is still around if he’s drafted next year. “I hope LeBron (James) is still there if I get to the NBA,” the 18-year-old said. “Anything can happen, but I hope he’s there so I can play with or against my idol. … I mean, in the end, I’m not (in the NBA) yet, I have to keep working to get to that moment and make my dreams come true.”
After seven seasons in the NBA, veteran guard Shake Milton signed a two-year deal with Serbian club Partizan Belgrade this summer. The 29-year-old says he’s still adjusting to the different playing style in Europe, according to Nikola Miloradovic of Eurohoops. “The biggest adjustment is just the different style of the game,” Milton told Eurohoops. “I’ve been playing one way for seven years, so now I have to adapt. It’s a challenge, but I’m excited. I’ve already started to make some adjustments, and the fun part is knowing I can get even better than I’ve been. I know it’ll all come together.”

NBA Europe Could Launch As Early As 2027

September 17th, 2025 at 8:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

The new European basketball league backed by the NBA could begin play as early as 2027, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno and Tim Reynolds.

NBA and FIBA are working together to launch NBA Europe.

Speaking at a conference hosted by Front Office Sports, Silver called a 2027 start “ambitious, no doubt about it,” but did not rule out that possibility. Existing arenas across Europe could be used when the initial launch occurs until more modern infrastructure is built up.

“I don’t think I’d want to go much longer than ’28,” Silver said. “The opportunity is now to do something like this.”

Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum met this summer with United Kingdom prime minister Keir Starmer, among other government officials, along with various possible stakeholders regarding the new venture. Those meetings convinced Silver that NBA Europe would be successful.

“I would say I’m enthusiastic about it,” Silver said.

Early plans call for the new league to have 16 teams, though that number could change. Existing European clubs like Real Madrid, Fenerbahce Istanbul and Barcelona are likely to figure into the NBA’s plans for the new league, according to the AP.

A new British league that intends to launch in 2027 indicated in a recent press statement that it expects the NBA’s European league to begin at the same time, with franchises in London and Manchester, as Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net relays.

“Basketball’s probably the fastest-growing sport in the world right now, and it’s a huge No. 2 sport in Europe behind soccer, so I think there’s a real opportunity,” Silver added.

Stein’s Latest: Banton, Love, Warriors, NBA Europe, Bonga

September 15th, 2025 at 5:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Dalano Banton has received interest from teams overseas but continues to seek an NBA opportunity after spending the past season-and-a-half in Portland, Marc Stein writes for The Stein Line (Substack link).

According to Stein, Banton has recently auditioned for multiple NBA teams, including the Warriors and Pacers, though Indiana decided to pass on him.

Banton, who was traded from the Celtics to the Trail Blazers at the 2024 deadline, has since appeared in 97 games for Portland, averaging 10.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 20.6 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .399/.319/.751. He has been an unrestricted free agent since his contract expired on June 30.

Here’s more from Stein:

The Jazz and Kevin Love have yet to engage in serious discussions about a buyout, per Stein. While it’s “widely known” that Love would like to play for a team closer to contention, it doesn’t sound as if he has a post-buyout spot lined up yet, Stein explains, so there has been no urgency to get out of his contract with Utah.
Stein reiterates that the expectation around the NBA is that veteran free agents Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II will sign with the Warriors once Jonathan Kuminga‘s situation is resolved. According to Stein, the latest round of negotiations between the Warriors and Kuminga has “sparked some fresh optimism” that both he and those other vets will be signed prior to the team’s media day on September 29.
After FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa predicted that the NBA’s new European league could tip off in 2027, Stein says his own reporting suggests Garbajosa’s timetable may not be exact but also isn’t far off.
Although Isaac Bonga‘s NBA exit clause for 2025 expired, he drew interest from a few teams earlier in the summer, according to Stein, who says Bonga committed to spending the coming season with Partizan Belgrade after not getting a concrete offer from any of those clubs. Stein anticipates Bonga will receive more serious NBA interest next offseason.

International Notes: Loyd, Larkin, NBA Europe, Athens

September 14th, 2025 at 9:29am CST by Rory Maher

Veteran guard Jordan Loyd, who starred for Poland during EuroBasket 2025, is close to signing a contract with Turkish powerhouse Anadolu Efes, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (via Twitter).

Loyd, who had a brief stint with Toronto during the team’s title-winning season in 2019, averaged a team-high 22.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals on .490/.422/.875 shooting in seven games (32.0 MPG) for Poland.

Stein previously reported that Real Madrid was the most prominent suitor for Loyd, but evidently team was unable to sign him away from AS Monaco because his Spanish league rights are held by Valencia, among other complicating factors.

Loyd, 32, helped Monaco reach the EuroLeague final for the first time in franchise history last season. In 27 EuroLeague contests, he averaged 10.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 1.9 APG on .468/.392/.892 shooting (22.7 MPG).

Anadolu Efes, meanwhile, won the EuroLeague in both 2021 and 2022. Last season, it was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the playoffs by Panathinaikos, the 2024 champs. Efes also competes domestically in Turkey’s Basketball Super League.

Here are a few more international notes:

In an extensive — and exclusive — interview with Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, former first-round pick Shane Larkin discussed becoming a Turkish nationalized citizen, his journey to becoming a star in Europe, battling OCD, and Turkish teammate Alperen Sengun, among other topics. “I had a few incredible seasons over here and I had opportunities to go back to the (NBA) and I was like, “Nah I’m cool, like I’m good where I am”… and when people hear that, they don’t understand what it is like to be one of the better star players in Europe. You have to really experience it to fully understand it,” Larkin said as part of a larger quote. The 5’11” point guard, who plays for Anadolu Efes, will compete in the final of EuroBasket on Sunday with Turkey, which faces Germany.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa said he has “no doubt” that the NBA’s European league will come to fruition at some point, though the details are still being worked out. “There’s a long way to work from today until whenever we start,” Garbajosa said, per Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. “This is going to happen. It’s very clear. Mr. [Adam] Silver announced it publicly, and so did Mr. [Andreas] Zagklis. I did it also. It is not easy to create this competition in Europe, so it’s going to take a while. But this is going to happen. How and when? Let’s see. Some prospects talked about 2027. I think it’s a good year. But obviously NBA is working on it. We are their partners, we want to be their partners, we want to be together with them.”
The 2026 EuroLeague Final Four will be played at the Telekom Center in Athens, Greece, the league announced in a press release. Athens also hosted the 2007 edition of the EuroLeague Final Four.

And-Ones: NBA Cup, Rule Changes, Europe, Mitrou-Long

September 11th, 2025 at 8:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Starting in 2026/27, the semifinals of the NBA Cup (in-season tournament) will be played in teams’ home markets, with the higher seeds hosting those games at their own arenas, the league announced this week in a press release (Twitter link).

In the first two iterations of the NBA Cup, the semifinals and final have both taken place in Las Vegas — that will happen again this winter, but beginning next year, only the championship game will be played at a neutral site.

Within the same release, the NBA also announced a minor tweak to coach’s challenge rules. Going forward, when an out-of-bounds violation is reviewed, it will be up to the replay center – rather than the crew chief of the game’s on-court officiating crew – to determine whether a foul should have been called on the play.

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Beginning this fall, unsuccessful heaves at the end of quarters will be recorded as missed field goal attempts by the team rather than the player, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The NBA tested the change at the Las Vegas Summer League earlier this year in an effort to ensure players are more willing to throw up buzzer-beaters at the end of periods without worrying about misses affecting their shooting percentages.
Former NBA star Tony Parker, who is a EuroLeague shareholder as the owner of the French team ASVEL Basket, continues to advocate for collaboration between the NBA and the EuroLeague as the NBA looks into starting its own European league, as Aris Barkas of Eurohoops relays (via China Daily). “If the EuroLeague, the NBA, and FIBA can find a way to work together to build a strong league. That will be amazing for European basketball,” Parker said during a promotional visit to Chengdu. “… For me, as an owner of a French club, having an agreement between the three is the key to the success of European basketball.”
Former NBA guard Naz Mitrou-Long has officially signed with Napoli Basket for the 2025/26 season, the team announced in a press release. Mitrou-Long, who appeared in 20 NBA regular season games for Utah and Indiana from 2017-20 has bounced around Europe in recent years, playing for multiple teams (including Olimpia Milano) in Italy, Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania, and Olympiacos in Greece.

Latest On NBA’s Potential European League

August 3rd, 2025 at 12:12pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA continues to explore creating a new European league, including leadership meetings with potential teams, stakeholders and investors over the past week.

According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, commissioner Adam Silver, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum and the NBA’s European and Middle East director George Aivazoglou met with Real Madrid on Thursday in Paris about the possibility of the Spanish powerhouse joining the proposed league.

As Vardon writes, Real Madrid currently has a guaranteed spot in the EuroLeague, but its license expires in 2026. Sources tell Vardon that if Real Madrid decides to join the NBA’s new venture, other EuroLeague teams are considered likely to follow.

Real Madrid is the most decorated EuroLeague team in history. Dating back to when the competition was known as the FIBA European Champions Cup, the Spanish club has racked up 11 championships and made the finals a total of 21 times — both league records.

In addition to Real Madrid, Barcelona (Spain), ASVEL Basket (France) and reigning champion Fenerbahce (Turkey) are viewed as EuroLeague teams that might defect to the NBA’s new league, Vardon reports.

Silver and other top NBA executives have met with Alba Berlin as well, Vardon adds. The German club previously competed in the EuroLeague but will be in the Basketball Champions League for 2025/26.

Sources tell Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal that the NBA is “all-in” on the new European league in part because it thinks “EuroLeague franchises are not being run as high-end businesses and have untapped commercial upside” (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports).

According to Friend, the NBA is seeking between $500MM and $1B in licensing fees from prospective teams. While some sources have expressed skepticism that the NBA will be able to extract that high a fee, others are more bullish on the league’s chances.

“Look, the FC Barcelonas and the PSGs and the Manchester Citys, they can do [between $500M and $1B],” one source briefed on the NBA’s plan told Friend.

International Notes: EuroLeague, Lamb, George, Roberson

July 31st, 2025 at 2:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejūnas is trying to talk the NBA and FIBA out of forming a new European league, he told The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov.

“We don’t need a new league. We are doing really good,” Motiejunas said. “The league is growing. We’re happy to go and do it together with NBA and continuously use their power to grow the basketball in Europe. So we’re open to that.”

Motiejunas held what he described as a positive meeting with NBA and FIBA reps and indicated another meeting would be held in September.

“They have a really strong image. They can help with TV deals,” Motiejunas said of a potential partnership with the NBA. “They can help with sponsorship. We can grow the pie bigger if we go and work together. This is always the same message. We need to care about the basketball, the basketball fan, and if we can monetize the game better — and we believe that with the NBA, we can do it better — that’s the strength that we could get them to bring in, and then it comes from that.

“But we have a huge fan base. We have 25 years of history. This is what we said to them. Why not sit down and see how we go and make decisions together, rather than just creating a new league and for them to start over? This is basically our message.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum have been holding meetings to discuss a new overseas league with potential stakeholders.

We have more international news:

Former NBA forward Anthony Lamb has signed a two-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem, according to a team press release. Lamb played last season for Italy’s Trento, averaging 15.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. In EuroCup games, Lamb averaged 13.7 points and shot 40% from beyond the arc. Lamb played 62 games (four starts) for the Warriors during the 2022/23 season and averaged 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per contest. He played for the New Zealand Breakers the following season and averaged 19.5 points per game until he injured his Achilles tendon.
Wizards forward Kyshawn George, who is entering his second NBA season, will play for Canada in the FIBA AmeriCup in late August, Libaan Osman of the Toronto Star tweets. George is expected to have a featured role in the tournament, Osman adds. The 24th pick of the 2024 draft played 68 games with Washington in his rookie season, including 38 starts. He averaged 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 26.5 minutes.
Former NBA forward Andre Roberson is departing the EuroLeague and signing with Zenit St. Petersburg, according to Sportando. Roberson averaged 8.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with ASVEL Villeurbanne. Robertson, 33, appeared in 307 NBA games but hasn’t been in the league since a five-game stint with Brooklyn during the 2020/21 season.

Silver, Tatum Meet With UK PM, Possible Investors About European League

July 30th, 2025 at 5:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

United Kingdom prime minister Keir Starmer held a meeting on Wednesday with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum regarding a potential NBA Europe league, sources inform insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link). Silver and Tatum are also holding court with various possible stakeholders about this new venture.

Stein tweets that, in addition to Starmer, Silver and Tatum have conferred with investment firm Redbird Capital Partners, private equity firms KKR and CVC, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, and representatives from Turkish soccer team Galatasaray. Silver and Tatum also met with the U.S.’s ambassador to the U.K., Warren Stephens.

Silver and Tatum’s meetings with possible European league investors included other basketball teams, in addition to the aforementioned private equity and investment firms, sovereign wealth funds, and government officials, a source tells Scott Soshnick and Dan Bernstein of Sportico. Private equity funds have been given a strict 20% ownership cap for any NBA team, although it remains unclear if that rule would remain in effect for this new league.

Soshnick and Bernstein also report that the new league could be supported by both the NBA and FIBA, and that a new team could be established in London specifically. The fresh league would employ FIBA rules, not NBA rules.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps is convinced that a slate of two announced European regular season games for 2025/26, in combination with word of these meetings, makes a new European league something of an inevitability.

“This all goes back to the NBA Europe plan that the league is potentially looking to enact over the next couple of years,” Bontemps said during an appearance on NBA Today (Twitter video link). “Could be an expansion for the league, try to make a bunch of money over in Europe… This all points toward that league trying to get off the ground at some point here in the near future.”

Silver and FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis previously held a spring presser to verify that “exploratory” conversation were being held about a possible new European league, which would tentatively feature 12 permanent teams and four wild-card spots. The possibility of extant EuroLeague squads getting involved was floated.

Current NBA owners are expected to own a stake in the new league at large, but would not own individual teams.