EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas reacted to the recent news about the NBA European expansion, stating that he believes that the EuroLeague teams won't leave the competition while also expressing his doubts about NBA Europe.
EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas reacted to the recent developments regarding NBA European expansion.
Motiejunas gave an interview to Yann Ohnona from L'Equipe, in which he discussed the partnership between the NBA and FIBA.
The first thing Motiejunas clarified was that he doesn't see Thursday's announcement as a declaration of war on the EuroLeague.
"I don't see it as a declaration of war," Motiejunas told L'Equipe. "The good news, from what I've heard, is that everyone seems to agree that European basketball is doing well, is substantially growing, and has unprecedented potential."
"We view very positively the NBA's desire to further explore this market with FIBA's help. We know this territory extremely well. We have the best fanbase, the best teams, and the deepest-rooted culture.
"We're strong, growing every year, and confident in our product. We'll see what comes out of this "exploration" announced during their press conference. At this stage, it doesn't seem to us that there have been clear announcements on what they ultimately want to achieve," Motiejunas continued.
However, there was one thing Motiejunas didn't like.
"They can act as they please [but] what offended me while listening to the conference was the absence of the word EuroLeague, any mention of its fans, its teams," Motiejunas observed.
"It came far too late in the presentation. But I work for EuroLeague, so perhaps it's normal that I felt this way," Motiejunas added with a smile.
Motiejunas also confirmed that there was a meeting between the EuroLeague, NBA, and FIBA earlier this month. However, it seemed that no crucial decisions or agreements were reached.
Motiejunas also said that none of the EuroLeague teams expressed the desire to leave the competition, emphasizing the EuroLeague's strength, fans, culture, and atmosphere.
Earlier, The Athletic reported that the NBA targets Real Madrid, Barcelona, ASVEL, and Fenerbahce. When asked about these specific teams, Motiejunas remained calm.
"I can't confirm that [these four teams haven't signed the new IMG deal yet]," Motiejunas told L'Equipe. "But we're not worried. It's up to us, management, to show we have a clear plan for our development."
"I believe the work we've already done and the many initiatives launched recently with IMG will convince everyone that EuroLeague remains the best place to continue growing," the EuroLeague CEO added.
Motiejunas was also asked about the possible arrival of the PSG basketball team. However, he noted that the EuroLeague prioritizes Paris Basketball.
"On our side, we've never been in contact with PSG," Motiejunas said. "We have Paris Basketball, which is having an excellent season in a market crucial for us, and we'd like them to be here long-term."
"I'm certain we'll keep them in the EuroLeague in the future. We're focused on the team we know and that's performing well," Motiejunas continued.
Interestingly, Motiejunas doesn't believe in the proposed NBA European expansion format.
Per the reports, it would be a semi-open model, in which 12 teams would be permanent members, while the remaining four would be rotated based on the sports principle.
"Would it even be economically viable? My 18-year experience as [Zalgiris] owner suggests not. But perhaps there's something I'm unaware of. Putting a business plan on paper is easy. Making it a reality is another story," Motiejunas said.
Nevertheless, does the NBA Europe arrival put the EuroLeague's existence at risk?
"Don't expect me to say something like that. I don't see any risk of extinction. We have a clear plan and numerous opportunities to explore," Motiejunas said.
"In 2015, something similar happened with the Basketball Champions League. There were some waves, but we remained the best competition. The worst scenario would be confusion among fans.
"The best scenario would be establishing a clear pyramid system protecting European players and strengthening basketball from grassroots upwards, allowing everyone to grow and elevating European basketball to a new dimension," the EuroLeague CEO concluded.
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