FIBA Europe board member Darius Gudelis claimed that if the NBA comes to Europe, it will only be with FIBA, essentially ruling out the potential partnership with the EuroLeague.
Darius Gudelis, a prominent member of the FIBA Europe board, has recently addressed the ongoing talks about the NBA potentially expanding into Europe.
Gudelis attended the press conference in Vilnius, where the Rytas Vilnius budget was presented, as he is also the chairman of the Lithuanian club's board.
Regarding the potential NBA Europe expansion, Gudelis' message was clear: any NBA move into European basketball will have to go through FIBA, the international governing body for the sport.
"If the NBA comes to Europe, it will only be with FIBA," Gudelis noted.
Earlier EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas revealed that while there had been previous discussions with the NBA, communication has recently diminished.
"We've had many conversations with the NBA, but now the contact has decreased a little. We are trying to re-establish serious discussions with them," Motiejunas said in the Missmatch podcast.
Meanwhile, Gudelis also talked about the importance of Europe creating its own framework and how FIBA envisions the sport's development across the continent.
"The best thing for European basketball would be if the EuroLeague and FIBA could come to an agreement without relying on outside help from across the Atlantic," Gudelis explained.
"It's crucial to establish clear operating principles, calendars, and other necessary elements, but we see that this is not happening at the moment. The results aren't there yet, and it seems FIBA is focusing on other partners," he added.
Gudelis also explained that the FIBA window system will remain and won't be changed.
"FIBA wants to maintain a sports principle – if teams win local championships or finish in higher positions, they should have a chance to compete in the highest level tournament," he said. "There is also a desire for a schedule due to the windows – one or two per year. There is no turning back now; the windows will remain.
The future of European basketball could see major changes in 2026, as EuroLeague and club contracts are set to expire.
"The EuroLeague and club contracts will end in May 2026. That spring-summer period will be a critical time when decisions will be made about where teams want to play. Once those clubs decide where they want to go, then the movement will begin."
"The most important teams at the table will dictate the terms regarding the format and conditions.
"Until then, there will be no changes to the Champions League format. We have said that a normal schedule for a team is two games per week [one game in the international tournament and another in the domestic league], and that's what we want in the Champions League tournament," Gudelis concluded.
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