NBA Accelerates European League Talks as LeBron James Eyes Saudi-Backed Rival

Adam Silver met with Real Madrid leaders in Paris on Thursday to discuss the club joining the NBA's planned European league. The NBA has held parallel discussions with Alba Berlin and is targeting new franchises in London and Paris. Silver's blueprint calls for a 16-team circuit mixing EuroLeague defectors with fresh franchises under an ownership model that grants investors equity stakes and could take two to three years to launch. An NBA executive told Sports Business Journal that league officials accelerated their Europe push citing fears that LeBron James and Maverick Carter could secure $200 million in Saudi funding to launch a rival league. League insiders view these negotiations as crucial to cement the NBA's presence in Europe and deter any Saudi-backed competitor.

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