NBA Europe: Tottenham and a joint Manchester bid for franchises

Premier League clubs take notes as the NBA leans towards Europe

Though BAL remains unprofitable, it has built a commercially sustainable ecosystem for players and staff to reach for new opportunities that were previously rare to non-existent.

Looking towards Europe for its next expansion, Adam Silver has been working closely with FIBA and the EuroLeague, the dominant and tenured basketball league on the continent.

Several European prospects have teased the idea of merging or joining the new project.

Tottenham have paced a bid in hopes to set foot into the basketball world with plans of tying the Premier League team to the NBA.

This is not uncommon in the world of basketball, with Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich being notable clubs with both football and basketball teams.

Manchester has also thrown its hat into the ring, as reported by City AM’s Frank Dalleres.

Although the Citizens are in talks with the NBA, it is in fact both United and City who aim to place a joint bid, alongside Manchester Basketball, the current team.

Set to launch in 2027, the NBA plans to sell 12 franchises to teams across major European cities, but have yet to disclose who has made the cut.

These cities include the likes of London, Paris, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Athens, Istanbul, Berlin, Munich, Lyon, and Manchester.

So far, the NBA has received many bids within the $500 million to $1 billion range in each of its 12 target cities, which includes bids from more than 20 existing basketball and football clubs.

Alongside the new league, NBA games have been played in Europe for decades now, with its first introduction in 1984 with a booming Chicago Bulls squad, starred by the face of the league, Michael Jordan.

It has since then featured 99 games on the continent, and isn't ready to stop just yet with the surge of European superstars like Frenchman Wembanyama drawing crowds in France, including the upcoming Paris game on 14 January 2027.

This time around, the NBA has confirmed a game will be played in Manchester, on 17 January, 2027, featuring Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs. 

As the NBA keeps on growing, we can expect new franchises to rival or merge with leagues in Asia, South America, Oceania and South America, with it only being a matter of time.