NBA Says Progress Continues on Proposed NBA Europe League

NEW YORK — The NBA said on July 15 that progress continues on a proposed NBA Europe league, an expansion that league officials have tied to the growth of the Basketball Africa League.

NBA.com reported that the league continues to advance plans for a European competition, though it did not detail a launch timetable. The Basketball Africa League, a partnership between the NBA and FIBA now in its sixth season, has been cited by the NBA as a blueprint for operating a league outside North America, the NBA has said.

In June, the NBA deputy commissioner said the league expects to begin naming winning bids for European teams in the coming months, CNBC reported on June 18. The proposed European league would extend the NBA's franchise-based model — already used in Africa — into a new market, according to the NBA.

There is no live Basketball Africa League fixture to report; the 2026 BAL season concluded in May with Rwanda's RSSB Tigers crowned champions, per NBA.com reporting on May 31.

**Global/Local Angle:** The development matters for African basketball because the BAL's structure is the template being exported to Europe, deepening the NBA's global footprint and potentially reshaping how the league invests in African talent and markets.

**Sources** - https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMibkFVX3lxTE9sYlp0U2UwVGhxaEFERkdvSkN3TkN6cGJiakZBdlUzS2dZYWpJQ2RVR0NWb0lRM2hDbUdlRklFMUZqQ3BVd3dOdVFlbmE4X01BUzZ0SEV5eHpSLU9VM1FMN2V1cUVDd3h4ODBHWEFR?oc=5

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