"The NBA believes it can do a whole lot better in terms of monetising and marketing the space. Cardinale, who knows American sports well, has sensed an opportunity."
"The big doubt, as reported in the Corriere della Sera (via MilanPress), is whether the possible new franchise will involve Olimpia Milano or not. Essentially, Cardinale must think about buying the historic Milanese basketball club or creating an entirely new franchise from scratch."
"The entry fee of $250-300m (a figure that has not yet been decided) is turning away almost all existing basketball clubs in Europe because they cannot afford it, so this aspect also remains to be resolved."
The NBA is expanding into Europe with a new league expected to debut in the 2027-28 season, attracting significant investor interest from figures like Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital. The league aims to improve upon the existing EuroLeague through enhanced monetization and marketing strategies. Cardinale, AC Milan's owner and a promoter of the expansion, recently attended a project presentation in London alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He is also involved in the NBA's Las Vegas franchise project. A critical decision facing potential investors is whether to acquire established European basketball clubs like Olimpia Milano or establish entirely new franchises. The substantial entry fee of $250-300 million presents a significant barrier for most existing European basketball clubs.
Read at SempreMilan
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