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George Aivazoglou, the managing director for NBA Europe and the Middle East, revisited his forecasts for the upcoming European league, commonly referred to as NBA Europe.
The Greek executive reaffirmed most of the earlier public estimates, including those shared in a recent interview with The New York Times. He also spoke with L’Equipe about the potential inclusion of Serbian clubs in NBA Europe.
“No market is off-limits,” he told Yann Ohnona when asked about the exclusion of certain European markets from the initial plans. “If your team performs well, you’ll stand a chance to qualify.”
He clarified, “If some teams aren’t part of the opening lineup, it’s because we are launching with 16 teams. However, I foresee that number growing, which would allow for additional teams to join later,” confirming the participation of 16 teams at the league’s inception.
As a crucial component of the NBA Europe initiative, Aivazoglou provided insights on the growing interest in the league.
“The feedback has been phenomenal,” he stated. “Teams, investors, media outlets, and political figures recognize the unifying power of sports during challenging times, as well as its beneficial economic influence on a city or nation. They perceive this as both a European and local opportunity.”
“The momentum is substantial,” the 44-year-old executive remarked. “We are at a pivotal moment.”
As he mentioned the goal of starting with 16 teams in 2027, he also elaborated on the competition format.
“The straightforward approach is a round-robin structure, where each team competes against the others, culminating in playoffs and finals, likely following European regulations, since teams will still participate in their national leagues,” he explained, outlining the probable format.
Aivazoglou also touched on the advancement of relations with Euroleague Basketball.
“We had a productive meeting in May. During the NBA preseason game in Abu Dhabi, I spoke with him [Paulius Motiejunas, CEO of Euroleague Basketball]. We’ll reconvene next week in Geneva,” he noted. “We share similar values and have come to a common understanding about the challenges facing European basketball, the reasons they haven’t been addressed, and the opportunities that lie ahead.”
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