Adam Silver’s long-standing aspiration to establish a new league to capture the European market gained steam in recent months following their association with FIBA. But now, NBA Europe has hit a major roadblock with the EuroLeague threatening to take legal action against the newly proposed project.

Interestingly, Silver’s plans to expand the NBA into the European market have stirred internal conflicts, as four clubs that hadn’t signed 10-year EuroLeague licenses had until Friday, January 16, to make their commitment known.

However, among the four clubs – Barcelona, Real Madrid, Fenerbahce, and ASVEL, Barcelona are probably looking to stick with the EuroLeague. On Tuesday, Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, informed that they are willing to sign the contract without any special opt-outs.

They will probably put pen to paper at the end of this month, despite the recent rumors suggesting that they will join their arch-rivals, Real Madrid, who are the centerpiece of the NBA’s European project. Turkish giants Fenerbahce are another team that has asked for more time, but they are tilted towards staying in the EuroLeague.

While several reports suggest that ASVEL could remain in the EuroLeague, in his recent press conference in Berlin, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has shockingly revealed that ASVEL owner Tony Parker is one of the consultants on the NBA’s European project.

However, despite all the speculation about teams moving to the NBA Europe project or staying in the EuroLeague, they legally have until June 30 to sign the contract. So until the paperwork is done and the contracts are signed, there could be several last-minute changes, and nothing is official as of now.

NBA Europe target launch date with teams from 12 potential cities

NBA Europe’s managing director, George Aivazoglou, dropped a major update on the tentative tournament date, proposed format, and the potential cities where the participating teams will be based.

Aivazoglou has confirmed that there will be two teams from Milan, as they want to leverage the city’s association with many brands and its rich sporting culture.

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However, he is open to exploring the Inter Milan-AC Milan rivalry, from soccer to basketball, or else they could include EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, one of the city’s basketball clubs.

“I can’t comment on ongoing discussions, but Milan is home to some of the world’s most famous brands,” Aivazoglou told Giuseppe Nigro of La Gazetta dello Sport. “There are two big football clubs, there’s a major basketball team—Armani—so there’s no way we could forget Milan when we think about the cities we want in our league.”

As per his interview, there will be teams from 12 potential cities. There will be two teams from the United Kingdom – one from London and another from Manchester. Paris and Lyon are the selected cities in France. Madrid and Barcelona are the obvious options in Spain.

In Italy, they are planning teams in Rome and Milan, with options in Germany, including Munich and Berlin. The other two teams will be one each from Athens and Istanbul.

As per The Athletic’s recent report, Real Madrid, ASVEL, and Bayern Munich are ready to jump ship and join NBA Europe. There’s uncertainty around Barcelona, even though The Athletic believes that they will join the NBA Europe.

ALBA Berlin, a team that has participated in the EuroLeague for the last two decades, is expected to receive an invite from NBA Europe. Paris Baksetball are also expected to join forces with the new project. The NBA is seeking a partnership with its Qatari owners, who own the soccer club Paris Saint-Germain.

Apart from the existing EuroLeague teams, a few newly formed teams could emerge as the NBA is speaking with some soccer clubs to open their basketball wings for participation in the new project.

Speaking about the format, 12 of the 16 teams will be permanent, while 4 will be selected on merit based on their performances in the FIBA Basketball Champions League and their domestic leagues.

“It will be a semi-open format with 16 teams—12 permanent, plus four based on sporting merit: one from the FIBA Basketball Champions League, which is our partner, and three more from domestic leagues. That’s the most intriguing part because it gives everyone something to aim for,” Aivazoglou added.

He also revealed that if things fall into place, the NBA franchises could play against the NBA Europe clubs from time to time.