Could Europe be the home of a new professional basketball league run by the NBA? It could happen if NBA Commissioner Adam Silver gets his way. Joe Vardon, Adam Crafton, and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (subscription required) are reporting that Silver will be presenting the idea of a European league to the NBA Board of Governors with a goal of starting such a league as soon as 2026.

The league would consist of brand-new teams plus other teams that currently play in the established EuroLeague. Preliminary talks have occurred between the NBA and FIBA, the international governing body of basketball, as well as with potential investors and existing major European basketball clubs. Silver is seeking permission from the NBA Board of Governors to pursue the actual formation the league.

The current state of basketball in Europe is that teams generally play in a domestic league, while the largest and most successful teams also play simultaneously in EuroLeague competition against teams in other countries. The EuroLeague is mostly closed, with the majority of teams in the competition guaranteed a place from season to season. It’s not completely closed though, as a smaller number of teams qualify each season through a complex process with confusing details. In theory, a plucky team from a small city in Germany could play against the biggest teams on the continent if they earn it, although that is a decided long shot.

Many details of how an NBA-sponsored league might operate are still in flux, but Tim Bontemps of ESPN reports that the league would consist of 16 teams, 12 of which would be permanent members of the league and 4 would be teams that qualify each season based at least in part on their domestic league performance.

It’s worth noting that the NBA has been talking with FIBA, the international governing body of basketball, and not the EuroLeague. The NBA has so far chosen an aggressive course that could shut out the EuroLeague completely. Paulius Motiejunas, chief executive officer of EuroLeague, responded to developments in an interview with L’Équipe, a French newspaper devoted to sports. Motiejunas was diplomatic, stating that he didn’t view the NBA announcement as “a declaration of war”. He expressed a willingness to talk with the NBA and put forward why such talks should occur. As translated on the Eurohoops.com site:

Can we talk about the ‘best product’ possible without the Euroleague teams, their fans, our markets, the culture, the passion and the history that all of this has carried for decades? For our part, we are always ready to sit down and discuss to explore together the best solution to offer everyone an even better product than what European basketball currently offers.

Another wrinkle is that some of the teams and investors that have been reported in talks with the NBA are heavily involved in soccer, by far the largest and richest sport in Europe. Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich are three clubs with popular and successful basketball teams and absolutely massive soccer teams. Two of those teams, Barcelona and Real Madrid, were involved in an attempt to create a pan-European soccer Super League that would have had permanent members instead of promotion and relegation, an effort that failed due to virulent pushback from fans who felt that soccer was being ruled by greed to the detriment of the sport.

On the investor side, Middle Eastern sovereign funds might get involved in an NBA-sponsored European league, with Qatar Sports Investments already reported to be interested in starting a new team in Paris specifically to play in the new league. They already own the largest soccer club in Paris and have financial interests in a number of other soccer clubs in Europe, as well as the Washington Wizards. It is not hard to speculate that Abu Dhabi United Group, owner of the Manchester City soccer club and prime supporter of the failed Super League initiative, could get involved in the new basketball league as well.

This drama features a fascinating cast of characters who all have competing interests. The biggest clubs could see their bottom lines boosted significantly, while the EuroLeague and the vast majority of clubs across the continent who might not be let into the inner circle potentially have much to lose. Players could be losers as well. It’s reported that the new league would have a salary cap, something that doesn’t exist in the current Euro League nor in European soccer. Salary caps have been sought be some owners of European soccer clubs, but so far the idea has not caught on.

Assuming Silver gets the green light to proceed, it is unclear how well this initiative will be received in Europe. Will fans, EuroLeague officials, and domestic leagues put up a stout resistance, or will this be perceived as being in the best interests of European basketball? Europe’s basketball aficionados may want to see their regional profile raised, but it remains to be seen if this price is just too high.