According to our information, several options have been presented to the Qataris: Either a straightforward purchase of an existing Paris-based (or nearby) basketball team, or the creation of a new, independent team — not directly linked to PSG — in partnership with other stakeholders. QSI has not ruled out any of these possibilities. In the first scenario, attention logically turns to Paris Basketball. Founded in 2018 by two Americans — former NBA executives — after absorbing the debts of Hyères-Toulon, the capital’s club currently plays in the EuroLeague, the most prestigious basketball competition in Europe, and is on track to qualify for the playoffs. Coincidence — or not — the club’s owner, Eric Schwartz, is currently in Europe…

1 hour ago – via Le Parisien

The other possibility being considered is to create a team independent from PSG, but involving other investors. The NBA is reportedly suggesting that PSG lend its name to the project. Arctos, which owns a 12.5% stake in the club — and in which NBA star Kevin Durant has shares — is likely aligned with this idea. The American investment fund aims to expand the PSG brand in the U.S., leveraging several assets: the Club World Cup, which will take place this summer in the U.S., and the lucrative partnership with Jordan Brand.

1 hour ago – via Le Parisien

Commissioner Adam Silver will pitch the NBA Board of Governors his early sketches of a plan to start a new pro basketball league in Europe as early as 2026, sources with direct knowledge of Silver’s deliberations with potential stakeholders told The Athletic. The venture could include 16 teams, deep-pocketed investors, some defectors from the established EuroLeague and new franchises in major markets like Paris and London.

1 hour ago – via New York Times

According to information obtained by EL ESPAÑOL from highly reliable NBA and FIBA sources, the American league will partner with FIBA Europe, the top governing body on the continent, to create this new competition. The new league will be semi-open, as the initial plan includes between eight and ten franchises, plus four teams that will qualify annually through FIBA competitions. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are the two clubs the NBA wants to include from Spain. According to sources from both organizations, they are free to explore this new project and acquire a franchise, as they have not signed the renewal of their contract with the EuroLeague.

1 hour ago – via elespanol.com

The NBA’s plan is to create a new competition with teams based in major European capitals. In addition to Madrid and Barcelona, candidate cities for one of the eight to ten franchises include London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Rome, Milan, and Berlin.

1 hour ago – via elespanol.com

Sources on both sides of the Atlantic with knowledge of the NBA’s early talks are watching four existing EuroLeague franchises — Real Madrid, Barca Barcelona, ASVEL Basket of Villeurbanne, of which former NBA superstar Tony Parker is team president, and Fenerbahçe Istanbul — as potential defectors to Silver’s league. Parker did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment, and neither did a EuroLeague official.

1 hour ago – via New York Times

There are no deals yet between the NBA and, well, anyone, two high-placed league officials told The Athletic. Silver is, essentially, looking for permission from his bosses (the NBA’s 30 owners) to move forward in making a new league happen. “The process is just beginning,” one high-ranking NBA official said.

1 hour ago – via New York Times

NBA sources also confirm that they are considering creating a preseason tournament, a kind of Super Cup, where the best teams from the U.S. league would face their European counterparts. The NBA’s arrival in Europe is a game-changing development that will revolutionize basketball both as a sport and as a business.

1 hour ago – via elespanol.com

Though planning is still in its early stages, Silver’s effort has advanced enough for Andreas Zagklis, secretary general of FIBA, who is based just outside of Geneva, to travel to New York for the board of governors’ meeting. Zagklis is not expected to be a part of Silver’s initial presentation, but will be able to answer governors’ questions.

1 hour ago – via New York Times

The league’s funding model would be expected to include league ownership stakes for team investors, sources involved in the discussions said, but a high-ranking NBA official called recent reports of a $500 million buy-in to the new league “pure speculation.”

1 hour ago – via New York Times