LAS VEGAS — The NBA is moving closer to launching a new league in Europe, with Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum planning to meet with potential team ownership groups in the coming days, including some who will be attending Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final in the New York area.
Silver, speaking following Tuesday night’s Board of Governors meeting, said interest in the new European league has been strong from multiple cities across the continent — including some that weren’t even asked to submit bids.
“We’ve had tremendous interest from multiple cities in Europe, including cities that we didn’t ask for bids from,” Silver said. “And we discussed with our board today that we’re in the process of finalizing those bids for an initial group of cities.”
The NBA and FIBA, basketball’s global governing body, announced plans last year to create the new European league, putting an end to years of speculation. The target launch remains the fall of 2027.
“Things are where I hope they would be,” Silver said.
The investigation into whether the Los Angeles Clippers violated salary cap rules through an endorsement deal between Kawhi Leonard and a now-bankrupt, California-based digital bank — one that marketed itself as environmentally friendly — remains active. Silver said he hopes the probe wraps up sometime this summer.
The situation has grown more complicated following a trade agreement that would send Leonard from the Clippers to the Toronto Raptors. Both franchises agreed to pause the deal last week while the investigation plays out, a process that could take several more weeks.
Silver noted the teams were aware of the situation before agreeing to the trade.
“They chose not to live with that uncertainty,” Silver said.
The league brought in outside legal counsel — New York-based firm Wachtell Lipton — to handle the investigation. Silver said he receives regular updates from the league’s general counsel on certain aspects of the case.
“The investigation needs to run its course,” Silver said.
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, potential penalties for deliberate cap circumvention could include a significant fine, the loss of draft picks, or even the voiding of a player’s contract.
The question of whether the NBA will expand to Seattle, Las Vegas, or both also came up during this week’s meetings. Silver repeated his position that he expects a decision by the end of 2026. If expansion does happen, the new teams would likely begin play in the 2028-29 season. While some potential ownership groups have made their interest public, Silver noted that most have not.
“Some groups have been public,” Silver said. “The majority of groups have not been public.”
Silver also stood behind the league’s current collective bargaining agreement, including the “second apron” — a salary threshold that, when exceeded, significantly limits what teams can do in terms of player movement and roster building.
“Every collective bargaining agreement is a result of a series of compromises,” Silver said. “And that’s what this one is as well, but certainly from my standpoint, from a competitor’s standpoint, this is working very well.”
The second apron has faced pushback in recent days from newly appointed National Basketball Players Association executive director David Kelly, who said the union will push back against it when the next CBA is negotiated.
“We are not fans of the second apron,” Kelly said last week. “We did not propose the second apron. We should have done a better job of fighting back against the second apron, and in the future, we will have a much more unified union, and we will do a better of fighting it back against a second apron.”
Kelly’s comments came in response to questions about remarks NBA veteran Kyle Kuzma posted on social media earlier this month, in which Kuzma argued that “the first and second apron are starting to function like a hard cap on player value, team continuity, and player movement.”
Not all players share that frustration. Houston star Kevin Durant expressed a different view during the regular season, crediting the apron rules with contributing to the league’s recent parity — eight different franchises have won championships over the last eight seasons.
“Thank God for second aprons and the first aprons,” Durant said.
The current CBA is set to remain in effect through at least the 2028-29 season.
In other business, Miami Heat managing general partner and Basketball Hall of Famer Micky Arison was unanimously chosen to serve as the board’s next chairman. He will officially take over at the league’s September board meeting, succeeding Toronto governor Larry Tanenbaum, who has held the role since September 2017 and has served as a Raptors governor for nearly three decades.
“I am grateful for Larry’s nearly three decades of stewardship of the Raptors and his commitment to helping guide our league as NBA Board Chairman over the past nine years,” Silver said. “Micky’s long record of service on the Board, his strong relationships with his fellow team owners and his deep understanding of our game and business make him an exceptional choice to assume this important leadership role.”
Arison, who has the second-longest tenure of any current NBA team governor at 31 years and also serves as longtime chair of the board of directors of Carnival Corporation, expressed enthusiasm about the new role.
“I look forward to working closely in this new capacity with Adam, the league office and my fellow team governors to champion our teams and players, ensuring we continue to deliver exciting and unforgettable experiences for our fans,” Arison said.
Tanenbaum thanked team owners for their support and said he wishes Arison well in the position.
Finally, Silver said he hopes to announce a decision on the All-Star Game format before the regular season begins. The league experimented with a U.S. vs. World mini-tournament this past season, which was generally well-received, and discussions with players about potential adjustments are continuing.
“I think we’re off to a good start,” Silver said.
