Basketball Business 24
Super League Basketball expansion: 10 things SLB must get right
Super League Basketball (SLB) in the UK has 9 teams. It would like to have more. To make that work, it’s going to involve a lot of work. Most of the necessary stuff is desperately boring to basketball fans. That doesn’t make it any more vital to success. Emmet Ryan does a deep dive. The […]
European Basketball and the Search for Sustainability
European basketball is at an odd point. With clubs in trouble, interest from the NBA, and everything else, it’s strange to say that some sanity might be coming to pass. Could the sport actually be on the verge of becoming truly self-sustaining at the top level? Emmet Ryan on the possibility of sanity emerging in […]
Euroleague Final Four 2025: Why It’s in Abu Dhabi
The decision to move the Euroleague Final Four to Abu Dhabi has not been without controversy. While lucrative in the immediate term, questions remain over the long-term strategy. It’s Euroleague Final Four week and the eyes of the basketball world shift towards Abu Dhabi. The decision to move the showpiece event away from the competition’s […]
Will Fans Buy in to NBA Europe?
It’s time for the fifth and final part of our series, NBA Europe: The Grand Experiment. This final article on the cultural battle — the emotional, tribal, and unpredictable part of any sports venture. In short, it’s about the fans. The NBA and FIBA may have the branding and the resources, but without fan buy-in, […]
Can NBA Europe Win on TV?
At the end of the day, the NBA Europe project is focused on generating revenue. Part 4 of our series on FIBA and the NBA’s new basketball league focuses on the broadcast and media strategy — arguably the single most important financial pillar for NBA Europe. We break down the potential for success, the very […]
Will Europe’s Top Clubs Join NBA Europe?
Part three of our series addresses the critical question of club participation. No matter how strong the NBA’s branding is, if the continent’s biggest teams don’t join, NBA Europe will struggle to command legitimacy or fan interest. Today we explore who might join, who likely won’t, and the complicated choices those clubs face. Read part […]
Can NBA Europe Take Over?
Part two of our series, NBA Europe: The Grant Experiment, digs into the structural conflict at the heart of the NBA’s ambitions in Europe — namely, the decision to go around EuroLeague rather than partner with it. Emmet Ryan explores who really controls European basketball, what the NBA wants to change, and whether NBA Europe […]
The High Price of NBA Europe
The NBA and FIBA plan to launch a pan-European league in time for the 2026/27 season. The idea is as ambitious as it is unprecedented. Both organisations are betting on a belief in basketball’s untapped commercial potential on the continent. Emmet Ryan on just how expensive it is going to be for NBA Europe to […]
Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, and marketing a feud
It’s got the fans. It’s got the personalities. Then there are the stakes. Few rivalries in basketball can compare to that of Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. Yet, is Euroleague doing enough to build on its most marketable rivalry? The rivalry that makes the rest of Euroleague come to a standstill is renewed on Friday. Basketball in […]
Paris Basketball, London Lions, the Euroleague, and Jordi’s basketball dream
Euroleague’s craving for big basketball teams in Paris and London has never been a secret. One of them will have a shot at achieving it through Eurocup this season There was once a dream, not necessarily the best advised one, in Euroleague towers. Paris and London have long been sought after to join the competition. […]
So you want to leave your national league
It was a week off for Euroleague, so a bunch of teams got very angry over domestic matters. Things got stupid fast, potentially earth shaking decisions were rashly put out there, and now it’s time to talk about the real motivations. Emmet Ryan on the teams that are hinting at leaving town The national […]
Sky, the NBA, and Britain’s basketball relationship
The NBA’s odd existence in the United Kingdom got a touch of stability earlier in the week due to its new deal with Sky. Emmet Ryan on how the NBA is everything always on the edge of being nothing and needs to be somewhere in-between Channel 4 realised one thing about the sports rights it […]