It’s no secret that the NBA is planning to expand into Europe. Sure, there are already NBA games held each season across Europe, including London, but the league has something more permanent up its sleeve. Earlier this year, some of the more concrete plans for an NBA Europe competition were released. And, despite not being a hotbed for elite basketball teams, the UK is firmly in the NBA’s sights as a key market.
Moreover, there are rumours swirling that Manchester United has agreed to form one of the NBA Europe franchises. This is not a completely unprecedented concept, as the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have basketball teams, but it still would be curious to see the Red Devils’ branding given over to any sport besides football. Again, plans aren’t finalised yet, but there is a growing expectation that we could see the NBA Europe league by 2027.
UK is ripe for basketball expansion
Even if United – or Man City, for that matter – isn’t selected as a franchise, it would be likely to see Manchester selected as a franchise location for an NBA team. London, of course, would join them. Again, though, this is just speculation at the moment.
Why the focus on the UK? As mentioned, the UK’s basketball teams aren’t on the level of their European neighbours, never mind the elite teams in the NBA itself. Yet, the UK sports market is mature and is seen as a prize pie in US expansion. The NFL certainly sees it that way. Fans are hugely engaged with NBA games, both in terms of watching the action on television and social media engagement. Betting on basketball and NBA is also significant in terms of revenues in the UK.
One of the drivers of this is certainly financial. One study suggests that the value of the global basketball market is around $50 billion. Europe’s share of that is around $200 million. Yet, the imbalance should not overlook the fact that many of the world’s best players come from Europe. Thirty years ago, you may have seen a few Europeans in the NBA. Today, some of the top stars like Victor Wembanyama (France) and Nikola Jokic and Luca Doncic (both Serbia) are European.
Will the NBA be welcome in Europe?
It remains to be seen whether the expansion would be seen as an act of aggression, supplanting the current structure of EuroLeague, which is the current elite level of European basketball competition. Yet, most reports suggest that the hierarchies of Europe’s leading clubs are amenable to the concept. We’d be fairly sure that fans would embrace the idea, too.
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As for Manchester, there are logistical issues to consider. For example, the most likely choice of home for a basketball franchise would be the National Basketball Centre, which is the current home of Manchester Basketball, which replaced the Manchester Giants. The centre has a capacity of 2,000, which is much, much smaller than a typical NBA arena. The smallest arena in the NBA, for example, is the home of the New Orleans Pelicans, which holds over 16,000. Somewhere like the Co-op Arena might be a possibility further down the line.
In the end, it would be pretty exciting for local basketball fans. An NBA Europe league wouldn’t be able to compete with its American cousin straight out of the blocks, but as we mentioned, many of the best young players in the world are hailing from Europe. Over time, more might opt to stay at ‘home’ rather than cross the Atlantic, and that could lead to even more top-level sports options in the city of Manchester.
