London Lions CEO: We’d love to be in NBA Europe but we have a reason to exist anyway April 15, 2026 London Lions CEO Lenz Balan on the club’s NBA Europe ambitions and the challenges of making British basketball financially sustainable. “I’m, like, an irrational optimist,” says London Lions CEO Lenz Balan as he explains why he views the impending arrival of an NBA Europe team on his patch as an opportunity, not a threat. The [...]
NBA and EuroLeague line up fresh talks over compromise deal April 2, 2026 The NBA and EuroLeague are set for further meetings, perhaps as soon as next week, amid growing hopes of a resolution to their rift over a new European basketball league. The US giant and its European counterpart had been at loggerheads for months over the plans for NBA Europe to launch in 2027 and potentially [...]
NBA Europe: Bids top $1bn as London team proves hottest property – sources April 1, 2026 The NBA and its advisors have received several bids in excess of $1bn for teams in its proposed European league, according to sources close to the process. The US basketball league and its advisors, JP Morgan and the Raine Group, have begun sifting through non-binding offers for the 12 permanent franchises in the new competition [...]
NBA Europe to copy The Hundred sale process as bid deadline arrives March 31, 2026 The NBA will borrow from English cricket’s playbook when its plans to launch a European league in 2027 take another step forward this week. Potential investors including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, RedBird Capital and Qatar Sports Investments have until midnight on Tuesday New York time to lodge their bids for one of the 12 [...]
NBA Europe an exciting opportunity for Super League Basketball, says chair February 26, 2026 The NBA’s creation of new teams in London and Manchester for its planned European venture is “an exciting opportunity” for Super League Basketball, says interim chair Sanjay Bhandari. The two teams are expected to play in both NBA Europe and SLB, the top-tier domestic competition, potentially offering a major boost to the profile of the [...]
New York Knicks could be first publicly traded NBA team in 24 years February 18, 2026 The New York Knicks could become the first NBA team in more than 20 years to be publicly traded under proposals being considered by their current owners. New York Stock Exchange-traded Madison Square Garden Sports Corp currently holds both the Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers but could split them into two separate listed [...]
Why KKR-Arctos is not just about private equity getting bigger February 12, 2026 The announcement that US giant KKR has acquired Arctos Partners for a reported $1.4bn (£1bn) is a significant moment in both the sports investment and private equity worlds. At first glance, the deal looks like a straightforward bet by KKR on the growing institutional appetite for sports assets. However, look closer and it says something [...]
Why authenticity is key to US sport succeeding in Europe January 24, 2026 The NBA London 2026 game is not another overseas exhibition. It is the clearest signal yet that US sports leagues are no longer treating Europe as a touring destination, but as a long-term growth market with serious commercial intent. And that shift matters. The window to engage early with the next generation of global sports [...]
Football regulator may have popular support but many will be disappointed January 22, 2026 The Independent Football Regulator will not be the panacea for all of the English game’s ills that some are hoping for, says Ed Warner. To a stimulating conference titled “The Independent Football Regulator: challenge or opportunity?” There I found myself a minority voice in an echo chamber of regulatory advocates. An opening poll of the [...]
Did NBA in London prove to brands European basketball is viable? January 21, 2026 During one of the timeouts at the London NBA match between Orlando Magic and the Memphis Grizzlies, two fans played a game of tic-tac-toe. Only instead of noughts and crosses, the playing pieces were two basketball-themed Revolut cards. Onlookers shouldn’t have been surprised; sponsors rarely get the chance to show off to a London audience [...]