NBA keen to tap into deep European talent pool

NEW YORK : A potential European league could be a goldmine for the NBA as the top-flight North American league looks to muscle its way into a deep pool of talent across the Atlantic.

The NBA is exploring the launch of a European league with world basketball governing body FIBA as a partner, Commissioner Adam Silver said last week, with an eye towards a 16-team format made up of 12 permanent clubs and four qualifiers.

The continent's longstanding Euroleague quickly signalled its readiness to enter into talks with the NBA, even as it has balked at the idea of another league in the region.

"They understood perfectly that NBA became global, the last MVPs are almost all international players. They see that the talents come mainly from Europe," said Olivier Mazet, an agent to players in the NBA and Europe.

"There is a will to take the field, to ensure the storytelling from the emergence of talent in Europe to their arrival in the NBA."

A joint-record 125 international players from 43 countries were named to NBA teams at the start of the 2024-25 season, with all 30 franchises featuring at least one player born outside the United States.

With the global pool of talent growing in the North American-invented sport, the NBA follows a similar playbook to the other "Big Four" men's U.S. sports leagues which are looking to stamp out their territory abroad.

The National Football League has rapidly expanded the number of international games, with a Christmas Day Netflix streaming slate boosting its global ambitions, while Major League Baseball kicked off this season in Japan at the Tokyo Dome.

"It's another example of Adam Silver's vision and leadership in conceptualizing a way to internationalize the NBA," said Leigh Steinberg, an American