Bueno on NBA Europe: Leaving Euroleague Costs 80M+ Euros
In a Reuters interview, the Euroleague chief executive doesn't expect any club to leave, but lists what departure would cost and says new franchises will be named in mid-November.
“The phone lines are open.” That is how Chus Bueno, the Euroleague chief executive, described the state of talks with the NBA in an interview with the Reuters news agency, published in recent days. The message cuts both ways: the door is not slammed shut, but the key has not been handed over either. He also set out the math on what each of the thirteen shareholder clubs would lose if it turned to the NBA Europe project.
What does Bueno say about clubs that would leave?
Bueno doesn’t believe it will happen. At the meeting on Lake Como, he says, the clubs made it clear that they want to stay together.
“I don’t believe that will happen. I think the clubs want to stay together and act together.”
All 13 shareholder clubs have signed new ten-year contracts tied to the Euroleague expansion plan, so leaving would carry a price. Bueno listed three items: a penalty, the possibility that the remaining clubs could individually seek damages, and the loss of shares. In his answer, as reported by Serbian media, the shares the clubs would lose are worth over 80 million euros. Two things need to be kept apart here: 80 million euros is not the amount of the penalty, which Bueno does not state, but the value of the stake the clubs would leave behind. Some headlines have mixed up the two figures.
“If they want to leave, there is a penalty they can pay, and clubs can also individually seek damages.”
Coming back would cost more than leaving. A club that changed its mind one day would, according to Bueno, pay whatever price applies at that moment.
Why is a split a bigger threat than the NBA itself?
The biggest fear in the Euroleague is not a competitor but the breakup of unity. Bueno warns that a fragmented market would benefit someone else.
“If you are divided, you lose value, and then some third party benefits from that.”
Asked about a scenario in which the NBA enters the European market without an agreement, he put it most briefly: “If they decide to enter the market that way, it will be a disaster. They know it, we know it, and nobody wants it.”
Where do the talks stand after Como?
At the October 6 meeting on Lake Como, the shareholder clubs rejected the NBA’s first proposal. According to Donatas Urbonas, they are expected to prepare a counteroffer in the coming weeks and sit down at the table again. Bueno says the conversation continued after Como:
“We talked after the meeting in Como as well. The owners’ position was very clear.”
We previously wrote about Bartomeu’s stance on the NBA’s offer. This is the other side of the same story, a voice from inside the Euroleague.
The NBA and FIBA plan to launch NBA Europe in 2027. If there is no deal with the Euroleague and the NBA decides to build a fully independent competition, the start would slip to 2028.
What is the Euroleague preparing for itself?
While negotiating, the Euroleague is widening its own pool. Up to eight new long-term franchise licenses are to be awarded, and the names of the new franchises should be known in mid-November. Under the business plan, the total value of the licensed clubs is expected to rise from about 1.8 billion to 5.4 billion euros.
Bueno expects this to lead the clubs toward financial stability: “I think in five years, with this expansion, we could reach a situation where most, if not all, clubs are financially sustainable.”
Changes are coming to the format itself, too. Euroleague president Dejan Bodiroga confirmed that the league will grow from 20 to 24 clubs, and from the 2027/28 season it will play a two-conference system instead of the current league format.
The next concrete date is mid-November, when the Euroleague is due to announce the names of the new franchises. Until then, the clubs’ counteroffer announced by Urbonas is also awaited.
