NBA senior vice president and managing director for Europe and the Middle East Giorgos Aivazoglou has raised concerns about the current structure of European basketball, arguing that organizational divisions have limited the sport’s commercial development.
Speaking during a panel discussion in London, Aivazoglou highlighted the difference between basketball’s growing popularity and its relatively small share of the European sports market.
According to the NBA executive, the broader European sports industry generates approximately $50 billion annually, while basketball accounts for less than 0.5% of that revenue.
Despite the increasing number of European players competing at the highest levels, Aivazoglou believes the continent’s basketball organizations have struggled to take full advantage of the sport’s commercial opportunities.
He suggested that one of the main problems has been the lack of cooperation between competitions and governing bodies, noting that over the past 25 years, ‘there’s been a fragmentation and fracturing of the ecosystem’.
Aivazoglou also questioned the EuroLeague’s existing structure, arguing that its closed competition model does not adequately reward clubs for their performances in domestic championships.
He believes that the current system has also made it more difficult for European basketball to develop into a commercially successful international product.
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The NBA is currently working with FIBA on a new European basketball competition, widely referred to as NBA Europe, which is intended to address some of these structural issues.
However, Aivazoglou emphasized that the organization remains interested in cooperating with existing EuroLeague clubs rather than excluding them from its plans.
Discussions between the NBA and European basketball stakeholders are continuing, with the executive expressing optimism about potential progress.
He suggested that ‘over the next few weeks we will be able to drive something very, very meaningful for European basketball together’.
The NBA’s proposed expansion into Europe is expected to focus on improving the sport’s commercial opportunities while establishing stronger connections between international and domestic competitions.
