Euroleague CEO Chus Bueno on NBA Collaboration & European Basketball's Future

Chus Bueno's extensive background in basketball includes roles as an ACB player, players' union secretary, executive director of the Spanish Basketball Federation, and vice-president of the NBA for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He also served as director of basketball at DAZN and worked for sports-focused investment funds. The Spanish executive recently shared his insights in an interview.

On his appointment:

"This is an exciting time. I saw a tremendous opportunity. As you mentioned, I've been in this environment for over 30 years, and when the clubs and the recruiter reached out to me for help, honestly, for someone passionate about basketball like me, it was what Americans call a 'passion project,' and I didn't want to miss this chance. I was aware of the challenge, and equally aware of the opportunity, as it's a complex period, but I am delighted to be part of it."

On NBA Europe:

"I'm taking a preliminary step. As you know, I maintain excellent relationships with the NBA and several of its leaders, including Adam Silver and Mark Tatum. They've opened a 'data room,' a collection of documents where they present their project to interested parties. This session will conclude on the 26th or 27th, after which they will present their findings to their board of directors. For now, we must show respect, be patient, and observe the market's reaction to their intentions and the value of their project. We've agreed with the NBA to wait, and once this process is complete, we'll meet. Because, as they themselves indicated, they would be delighted to discuss it with the Euroleague to find common ground and reach an agreement."

"Two scenarios are possible. First, the NBA raises the funds, aiming to reach $5 billion, as announced or reported in the press. This would be excellent news for basketball. European basketball has never had such a significant sum available to invest in its ecosystem. Therefore, we would need to consult with them and ask: 'How can we best leverage this opportunity together?' To do this, we must be able to establish a constructive dialogue and build this project collaboratively."

On the fragmentation of the European market:

"I believe they also understand that working together is simpler. One of basketball's issues is its lack of monetization, which is why the NBA sees an opportunity. I observed this during my time at the NBA: everything became too fragmented. When you fragment the market, you dilute its value, making it much harder to monetize fan engagement because fans are dispersed. It becomes more challenging to monetize sponsorship deals and TV rights because everything is too spread out. If the NBA steps in and acts alone… well, from our perspective, we believe that would further fragment the market and dilute its value even more. I think we all know that if we manage to work within a unified ecosystem, monetization will be better. That's what we're striving for. And if the NBA doesn't come through because they ultimately fail to raise the expected funds, and decide to pause, wait a bit longer, etc., then, as Euroleague, we must have a plan, like the three-year plan we presented a week and a half or two weeks ago."

"Should they succeed in raising the funds, the most logical solution would be a joint competition. Two high-level competitions would further fragment the market and lower the overall standard. That would benefit no one. The best approach is to act together, even if it requires compromises from both sides."

On the Euroleague's short-term future:

"To accommodate everyone and ensure fairness, we might need two conferences. We must decide within the next two to three weeks whether to maintain the 20-team format for another year or expand to 22. However, if we continue to gain market share while maintaining the same level of competition, 24 teams would be ideal, or even 30 within five years. We are increasingly receiving calls from entities building strong teams who wish to join us."