Bertomeu warns of the setback for the Euroleague due to the NBA proposal

Jordi Bertomeu, who led the Euroleague between 2000 and 2022, expressed his deep concern regarding the terms being negotiated around the NBA's entry into European basketball. In a statement on the Tu diràs program of RAC1, the former executive compared the current situation with his own dealings with the American league, emphasizing that historical conversations always revolved around mutual cooperation, not subordination.

“The discussions I had with the NBA — since we had good relations and had carried out many joint initiatives — revolved around cooperation,” Bertomeu explained. “As it has been presented now, it is concerning. Judging by the terms we are seeing, it is difficult to find anything positive for European basketball.” This statement marks a turning point in the debate about the future of the continental competition.

The loss of independence as the central issue of the conflict

Bertomeu's most compelling argument focuses on the governance of the competition. He recalls that the Euroleague was created precisely so that clubs could decide their own fate after breaking away from FIBA, an organization that historically controlled European basketball. For more than two decades, teams have had a voice and vote on the fundamental decisions affecting their competition.

“For 26 years, clubs have decided their own fate. There have been successes and failures — including ours, those of those who managed the organization — but the clubs have been the owners and have determined how their competition works,” he emphasizes. This autonomy, which has defined the European model, would be at risk under the current proposal from the NBA.

According to Bertomeu, the American proposal would nullify that hard-won independence and return clubs to a situation where they would have to answer to an external authority. “The NBA's proposal clearly puts an end to this and takes us back to the beginning, to square one. Now it’s called the NBA; before it was called FIBA. But, ultimately, clubs will go back to doing what others tell them,” he warns with a tone of concern that reflects the gravity of the situation.

The financial terms: an imbalanced agreement

Beyond governance, Bertomeu pays special attention to the economic aspects of the proposed agreement. He questions figures suggesting that clubs would have to pay significantly more to participate than they would receive in return according to the negotiated terms. This imbalance is, for the former executive, a clear indicator that the agreement is not designed in favor of European institutions.

“For Barça, Olympiacos, or Madrid to have to pay to play in something they have built themselves doesn’t seem logical or reasonable to me,” he states firmly. The emphasis on these three historically significant clubs underscores that even the most powerful institutions on the continent would not be protected under this proposal. Even more serious is what Bertomeu considers “absolutely unacceptable”: receiving an amount that equates to barely one-tenth of what they would later have to pay.

The threat to historic clubs and European identity

Bertomeu stresses that the expansion into new markets is not, in itself, problematic. In fact, he recalls that the Euroleague itself included London in its early days, demonstrating that geographic growth is compatible with the European model. However, he warns against the possibility that this expansion occurs at the expense of already established clubs that have built European basketball.

“The NBA hasn’t invented the idea of taking the European competition to other places, which is positive in itself. What worries me is that this happens at the expense of clubs like Olympiacos, the teams from Belgrade, Zalgiris or Maccabi; clubs that have built European basketball,” he explains with concern. These institutions represent the historical fabric of the Euroleague, and sacrificing them for new markets would constitute a fundamental break with the principles that have defined the competition.

Antagonistic sports cultures

Beyond issues of governance and finance, Bertomeu identifies a radical cultural difference between the European and American models. In Europe, sport is the priority, and business is generated to support it. In the United States, sport is a tool for doing business. This distinction is crucial for understanding why the NBA's proposal is so problematic for European interests.

“Here, we practice sports and try to generate business to sustain that sport. There, it’s a business that uses sport as a tool to do business. It’s a radically different culture,” Bertomeu points out. He acknowledges that he does not intend to judge which of the two approaches is better or worse, but emphasizes that European teams, clubs, and fans are accustomed to competitive tension, not the business tension that characterizes the American model.

This cultural difference explains why the NBA's proposal is not simply a change in management, but a fundamental transformation of the values that have supported the continental competition for decades.

Doubts about the schedule and viability of the project

The former executive also expressed reservations regarding the proposed timeline for implementing these changes. While he acknowledges that he himself helped launch the Euroleague in just three months, he argues that the current circumstances are radically different. “The level of sophistication that the Euroleague has today, which did not exist in 2000, probably makes starting in 2027 unfeasible,” he states.

Bertomeu suggests that the 2027 date may be used strategically to maintain pressure on investors, which adds another layer of complexity to negotiations that are already problematic. The current sophistication of the Euroleague — in terms of infrastructure, regulations, broadcasting systems, and management — makes a change of this magnitude in such a short timeframe practically unfeasible without sacrificing quality and stability.

Bertomeu's criticisms reflect a widespread concern in European basketball about how an NBA intervention could irrevocably transform the identity and values of a competition that has thrived for over two decades under principles of autonomy and joint governance of the clubs.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Bertomeu advierte del retroceso de la Euroliga ante la propuesta de la NBA