Kevin Durant increases his investment in PSG, eyeing basketball expansion?
June 21, 2025
Sylvain Sultat
The new announcement about PSG in NBA!
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and his deputies met with PSG and Real Madrid executives in Paris to discuss the two clubs joining NBA's future European league, marking a crucial step in this ambitious project.
Aug 8, 2024; Paris, France; NBA commissioner Adam Silver looks on before the game between United States and Serbia in a men’s basketball semifinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Photo Credit : © Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
According to The Athletic, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and his top deputies met Thursday in Paris with executives from Spanish conglomerate Real Madrid and French club PSG to discuss the possibility of the club joining Silver’s planned European league. The addition of this football and basketball giant would mark a significant milestone in launching this NBA venture across the Atlantic.
Thursday’s meeting is part of a series of similar discussions that Silver, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, and the league’s European and Middle East director George Aivazoglou are conducting this week in Europe with potential investors and teams for Silver’s NBA Europe league.
A project that could revolutionize European basketball
The meeting with Real Madrid officials is particularly important due to Real Madrid’s historic status in Europe, its unlimited funding thanks to its successful football operation, and its tense relationship with EuroLeague. Real Madrid holds an « A » license in EuroLeague, guaranteeing a spot each year, but this license expires in 2026. If Real Madrid joined Silver’s new venture, other EuroLeague clubs would follow, according to European sources.
Earlier this week, Silver, Tatum, and Aivazoglou met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan in London. Silver would also like an NBA Europe team in London, a city of nearly nine million people with about 15 million living in the greater metropolitan area.
NBA officials also met in London with representatives from four private equity firms (CVC, RedBird, Bridgepoint, and KKR), as well as officials from Turkish basketball and football club Galatasaray. Before his current trip, Silver had held several discussions with Qatar Sports Investments, which owns football giant Paris Saint-Germain, regarding the creation of a new Paris basketball team for his league.
Toward a 16-team league with wealthy investors
Silver’s new venture could include 16 teams with wealthy investors, some defectors from EuroLeague, and new franchises in major markets like Paris and London. His new European league would include a mix of rights-holding franchises and spots for teams that can qualify by performing well in their national league or FIBA’s Basketball Champions League (BCL).
The league’s funding model is expected to include ownership stakes in the league for team investors, and it could take two to three years to get his league online. In a recent interview, EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejūnas said he was « really optimistic » about keeping his key stakeholder teams: « There’s a lot of confusion. NBA is still exploring. They’re talking about two, three more years… We’re growing. Why would you leave the league that’s growing? »
Sylvain Sultat suit la NBA au quotidien, entre performances individuelles, dynamiques collectives et grandes histoires de la ligue. Sur BeBasket, il décrypte l’actualité américaine avec passion et régularité, toujours à l’affût des tendances qui font bouger le monde du basket.
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