Basketball-Former Euroleague CEO warns clubs against surrendering control to NBA

FILE PHOTO: Apr 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of an NBA basketball and the NBA logo before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Toronto Raptors at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images/File photo

Oct 22 (Reuters) - Former Euroleague CEO ⁠Jordi Bertomeu told Reuters on Thursday that the competition's clubs should not give up control over their future ⁠in any collaboration with the NBA's planned European league.

The NBA is targeting October 2027 for the launch ‌of NBA Europe, while Euroleague plans to expand its competition for the 2027-28 season.

Euroleague CEO Chus Bueno told Reuters on Monday that further fragmentation of European basketball would be "a disaster", although both sides say they remain open to working together.

Bertomeu told Reuters that collaboration was in everyone's interests, but the NBA's ​current offer was not attractive to Euroleague.

Euroleague's 13 shareholder clubs collectively own ⁠and govern the competition, giving them a say ⁠over its format, financial model and strategic direction. It is unclear what equivalent authority they would hold under the NBA proposal ⁠because ‌its terms have not been made public.

"The terms being proposed, as they are being presented today, are not those of a collaboration, based on what we know," said Bertomeu.

The Euroleague shareholders rejected the proposal at a meeting on ⁠October 6. Earlier this month a senior executive at a Euroleague club ​told Reuters that they expected the ‌NBA to come back with an improved offer.

Euroleague and NBA Europe have both promised growth for the 13 ⁠Euroleague shareholder clubs.

Bueno says ​mostEuroleague clubs would be sustainable within five years under its 10-year business plan, while NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum told Reuters on Tuesday that the NBA Europe model promised a "much quicker path to profitability".

Asked about Tatum's comments, Bertomeu, 67, warned that the path to improved economic ⁠results forshareholder clubs was no clearer under the NBA model.

"If European clubs ​move to a model that they are told will generate much more economic activity and much higher revenues, it is not guaranteed."

Bertomeu said the potential trade-off could not be measured solely in financial terms.

"In exchange, they would give up control over their own ⁠future. And if, three years from now, what they have been promised does not happen, they will not be able to change anything."

"In 26 years (of Euroleague), I was there for 22. During those 22 years we made mistakes, but we had the ability to correct them. We decided to change course and made our own decisions. (In NBA Europe) that would no longer be ​the case."

The NBA did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Bertomeu led ⁠Euroleague Basketball from its creation in 2000 until stepping down in 2022.

He said the NBA could make its biggest contribution to ​the growth ofEuroleague clubs in commercial operations and stadium infrastructure.

"I have no doubt ‌that the NBA could do an extraordinary commercial job. That is ​where the NBA could do great things.

"I believe these should be the points of collaboration between the two parties," said Bertomeu, adding that format changes and economic reform were unnecessary.

(Reporting by Ruairidh BarlowEditing by Toby Davis)

Thank you for your report!

资料照片：2025年4月11日；美国德克萨斯州达拉斯；在美航中心举行的达拉斯独行侠队与多伦多猛龙队的比赛前，可以看到NBA篮球和NBA标志。图片来源：Jerome Miron-Imagn Images/资料照片（必须注明出处）

10 月 22 日（路透社）——前欧洲篮球联赛首席执行官乔迪·贝尔托梅乌周四告诉路透社，该联赛的俱乐部不应在与 NBA 计划中的欧洲联赛的任何合作中放弃对其未来的控制权。

NBA计划于2027年10月推出NBA欧洲联赛，而欧洲篮球联赛计划在2027-28赛季扩大其比赛规模。

欧洲篮球联赛首席执行官楚斯·布埃诺周一告诉路透社，欧洲篮球的进一步分裂将是一场“灾难”，尽管双方都表示他们仍然愿意合作。

贝尔托梅乌告诉路透社，合作符合所有人的利益，但NBA目前的提议对欧洲篮球联赛没有吸引力。

欧洲篮球联赛的13家股东俱乐部共同拥有并管理这项赛事，因此对联赛的赛制、财务模式和战略方向拥有发言权。目前尚不清楚在NBA的提案下，这些股东俱乐部将拥有何种同等权力，因为该提案的具体条款尚未公开。

贝尔托梅乌说：“根据我们所知，今天提出的这些条款并非合作的条款。”

欧洲篮球联赛股东在10月6日的会议上否决了该提议。本月初，一家欧洲篮球联赛俱乐部的高管告诉路透社，他们预计NBA会提出一份改进后的报价。

欧洲篮球联赛和NBA欧洲区都承诺将为13家欧洲篮球联赛股东俱乐部带来增长。

布埃诺表示，根据其 10 年商业计划，大多数欧洲篮球联赛俱乐部将在 5 年内实现可持续发展；而 NBA 副总裁马克·塔图姆周二告诉路透社，NBA 欧洲模式有望“更快地实现盈利”。

当被问及塔图姆的评论时，67 岁的贝尔托梅乌警告说，在 NBA 模式下，股东俱乐部获得更好经济效益的道路并没有变得更清晰。

“如果欧洲俱乐部转向某种模式，而这种模式据称能够带来更多的经济活动和更高的收入，但这并不能保证。”

贝尔托梅乌表示，这种潜在的权衡不能仅仅用金钱来衡量。

“作为交换，他们将放弃对自身未来的掌控权。如果三年后，他们被承诺的事情没有实现，他们将无力改变任何事情。”

“在欧冠联赛的26年里，我待了22年。在这22年里，我们犯过错误，但我们有能力改正。我们决定改变方向，并做出自己的决定。（在NBA欧洲联赛）情况就不同了。”

NBA尚未立即回应路透社的置评请求。

贝尔托梅乌自 2000 年欧洲篮球联赛创立以来一直担任主席，直至 2022 年卸任。

他表示，NBA 可以通过商业运营和体育场基础设施建设，为欧洲篮球联赛俱乐部的发展做出最大的贡献。

“我毫不怀疑NBA在商业方面能做得非常出色。这正是NBA能够成就伟业的地方。”

“我认为这些应该是双方合作的重点，”贝尔托梅乌说，并补充说，形式改变和经济改革没有必要。

（Ruairidh Barlow报道，Toby Davis编辑）

感谢您的报告！