What to Make of the NBA’s Move to Europe
Earlier today, the NBA announced that the Orlando Magic and the Memphis Grizzlies will play regular-season games in Berlin on Jan 16th, 2026, and London on January 18th, 2026. Following these initial outings, NBA games will also be held in Manchester and Paris in 2027 and Berlin and Paris in 2028. These games are the latest matchups in the NBA’s longstanding history of playing games in Europe, which dates back to 1993 when the Orlando Magic and the Atlanta Hawks played the first European game in London. These new sets of matchups will be the first time the NBA has played in Europe since January of 2020, as well as marking a major return to the continent for the league. Needless to say, this is a big announcement for not only the NBA and the teams involved, but for Europe as well. Yet, what exactly should we make of this announcement?
First and foremost, this move back to Europe is great for the NBA brand, as it seems every year more and more NBA stars are emerging from European nations and dominating in the league. These include Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Dirk Nowitzki, Rudy Gobert, and many others. While the European market definitely knows the NBA is the premier basketball league, hosting games in Europe is a great way to further increase the passion on the continent to inspire even more players to improve their skills and join the NBA. Not only this, but by hosting games in Europe, it may offer the NBA’s European players a chance to play a few games closer to home, thus allowing their families and friends to attend some of their games. While this may seem simple, this could help keep spirits and morale up among the European players, which is important to a productive and functioning league.
Hosting NBA games in Europe may also be a great launching pad for the NBA’s European league, which it hopes to start in the coming years. “We continue to feel there are an enormous number of underserved basketball fans in Europe and that there's a strong opportunity to have another league styled after the NBA,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in June. Silver has also said that a future league would be “One piece of a larger approach to basketball throughout Europe.” As mentioned above, given the large number of European-born players currently in the NBA, with roughly 17% of players now being from Europe, a European league would be a great way to increase the NBA’s brand worldwide and provide entertainment for a whole new set of fans. Perhaps these upcoming European games are the perfect start to what could be a monumental chapter in the NBA’s history.
