CERNOBBIO — Olimpia Milano will host the EuroLeague's 13 shareholder clubs at Villa d'Este on Lake Como for a rare board meeting that will shape the future of European basketball, with the league's expansion plan and the NBA's offer to acquire its operational side on the agenda. As reported by Gazzetta dello Sport, a dinner is scheduled for Monday evening with the formal meeting to follow on Tuesday morning.
The appointment carries significant weight. The shareholders' board meets only rarely and, as Gazzetta noted, represents the forum where the strategies of European basketball are defined. The 13 shareholder clubs will be asked to choose between two sharply different paths for the competition's future.
On one side is the expansion project presented by CEO Chus Bueno. The plan calls for growing the EuroLeague to 24 teams and eventually to 28, with 20-21 clubs operating as franchises. Under the proposal, the current shareholder clubs would receive permanent licenses after renewing their ten-year agreement, while the remaining spots would be assigned through the purchase of franchises priced from €50 million to €90 million. Among the candidates cited are Virtus Bologna, Napoli, Maxima and BC Roma.
On the other side is the NBA's offer to acquire the operational side of the EuroLeague, which according to Gazzetta arrived nearly two weeks ago. The American league has already announced its NBA Europe project, a 16-team competition composed of 12 franchises and four teams qualifying through sporting merit. Under that structure, Italy would have franchises in Milan and Rome.
The potential NBA acquisition is the central issue facing owners in Cernobbio. They must weigh that external proposal against the independent path already mapped out by the EuroLeague through expansion and a transition to a franchise-based system, a decision that could have a major impact on the structure and future of European basketball.