NBA Commissioner Adam Silver floated the long-term possibility of a full European Division within the NBA, citing the league’s growing reliance on top European talent and future breakthroughs in supersonic air travel that could solve transatlantic scheduling issues.
Speaking Friday, April 17, 2026, on The Carton Show (WFAN and SNY) with host Craig Carton, Silver discussed the NBA’s ongoing plans for a standalone professional league in Europe while hinting at even deeper integration down the road.
Silver noted that basketball is already the No. 2 sport in Europe behind soccer, but commercially it generates only about 1% of soccer’s revenue — creating what he sees as a major growth opportunity.
He highlighted the influx of elite international players currently in the NBA, rattling off stars like Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, and Nikola Jokić (along with Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a broader example of international impact). Silver pointed out that roughly 15% of the league is now made up of European players, with even more talent rising through the ranks.
Silver also referenced the recent surge of European prospects heading to U.S. college basketball, driven largely by NIL money. Top European talents can now earn seven-figure salaries in college that far exceed what many could make in European pro leagues — a shift that has opened the floodgates for players who previously would have stayed overseas in youth systems or EuroLeague clubs.
Citing the NCAA championship and recent recruiting trends, Silver said the development pipeline in Europe is producing “an amazing amount of top-notch basketball” and high-level player development.
Short-Term: Standalone League, Long-Term: A European Division?
The NBA is currently in the process of developing a standalone league in Europe (in partnership with FIBA), which Silver described as the more immediate step. However, he quickly pivoted to a bolder vision:
“We’re in this process right now, and this would be a standalone league. But I would just say over time… there used to be the Concorde, obviously, supersonic jets. There’s a company called Boom Sonic that’s saying by 2030 they’re gonna have supersonic jets again… Long term, I could definitely imagine we could have a division in Europe.”
Carton interjected that travel remains a major logistical concern, to which Silver agreed — but emphasized that next-generation supersonic technology could dramatically reduce flight times and make regular cross-continental play more feasible.
Silver also touched on the commercial upside beyond just on-court competition. He noted how modern NBA arenas in the U.S. (like LA Live or the San Francisco complex) combine basketball with retail, restaurants, lounges, and residential space — opportunities that could transform European cities as well. He contrasted this with older venues like the one used in the Paris Olympics, which lacked the full suite of “back-of-house” commercial features that drive NBA revenue.
A Global Game with Big Commercial Potential
Silver framed the idea as part of basketball’s increasingly global nature, especially after standout performances like Steph Curry’s at the Paris Olympics. He stressed that bringing NBA-style teams and infrastructure to major European markets could deliver significant economic benefits to those cities while expanding the league’s footprint.
That said, he was careful to temper expectations on timing:
“Whether we have a division is something way down the road, but I think short term you could see a really successful standalone league in Europe.”
The comments come amid the NBA’s broader expansion discussions, including potential new teams in Las Vegas and Seattle domestically, and ongoing work toward launching the new European league (with a reported target window around 2027).
Silver’s remarks reflect both the league’s current demographic reality — a heavy European influence among its biggest stars — and a forward-looking bet on technology shrinking the world enough to make a truly transatlantic NBA division viable.
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