Adam Silver’s EuroLeague Plans Rejected as NBA’s Offer Deemed “Unacceptable”

This isn't new territory for Adam Silver and his European ambitions. An anonymous source reportedly revealed that the league pitched a partnership to EuroLeague three times, and "all three have been rejected." The most recent came last January, when league sources confirmed the NBA asked EuroLeague to join forces on a continent-wide competition, but EuroLeague flatly turned it down, reportedly because the NBA wanted both "the heart and the head" of any deal.

Now, after months of renewed back-channel talks and a formal proposal submitted ahead of a Monday owners' meeting in Lake Como, the answer appears to be heading toward rejection number four.

According to Greek outlet SDNA, virtually all of EuroLeague's shareholder clubs are currently opposed to the NBA's latest offer. Teams that want to preserve EuroLeague's independence reportedly described the terms using harsh language, calling them "unacceptable" and even "colonialist."

The rejection came on Tuesday, the deadline the NBA itself had set for EuroLeague to formally respond to the proposal.

Not every club is slamming the door entirely. Some reportedly haven't ruled out continued talks, but believe the NBA's current terms would need to be substantially sweetened before negotiations could realistically move forward.

The discussions are playing out while EuroLeague ownership gathers in Cernobbio, Italy, with the league's broader future structure - not just the NBA relationship - on the agenda.

Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport revealed what's driving the resistance. NBA's offer was reportedly built around keeping EuroLeague's current structure fully intact, with no changes to the number or status of its 13 shareholder clubs.

For teams wary of ceding control, a proposal that preserves the existing framework on paper still doesn't appear to have addressed the deeper governance concerns that killed the NBA's previous attempts.

None of this rejection comes as a total surprise given how the NBA has been positioning itself all year. Adam Silver has repeatedly said the league would rather partner than compete, but he's also made it clear that the NBA intends to launch a European league next season regardless of how these talks end - either as a joint venture or as a standalone rival tournament.

A 16-team format will be built with FIBA, with cities like London, Paris, Madrid, and Berlin under consideration. There's reported interest from clubs like Red Star Belgrade, Partizan, and Tony Parker's ASVEL, with Parker having publicly signaled his support for the NBA's venture.

EuroLeague's own leadership hasn't exactly sounded rattled by the standoff, either. CEO Paulius Motiejunas has previously downplayed the NBA's plans as "a bit of a broken record," saying EuroLeague has "only heard the plan or the fireworks" without seeing much substance behind it, even as the league quietly sent the NBA a warning letter earlier this year threatening legal action over direct conversations with EuroLeague-contracted clubs.

With the Tuesday deadline now passed and shareholder sentiment reportedly running firmly against the current offer, Silver faces a familiar outcome: another round of EuroLeague ownership choosing independence over partnership.

Whether that pushes the NBA toward another offer or straight into launching a competing league next season may become clear in the weeks ahead. But for now, the pattern that's defined this relationship since 2024 looks very much intact.