Did NBA in London prove to brands European basketball is viable? January 21, 2026 During one of the timeouts at the London NBA match between Orlando Magic and the Memphis Grizzlies, two fans played a game of tic-tac-toe. Only instead of noughts and crosses, the playing pieces were two basketball-themed Revolut cards. Onlookers shouldn’t have been surprised; sponsors rarely get the chance to show off to a London audience [...]
England cricket chiefs refusing to let counties blow Hundred cash on wages January 21, 2026 The England and Wales Cricket Board is at loggerheads with a number of counties who are growing increasingly frustrated at delays in accessing the proceeds from the £520m sale of stakes in the eight Hundred franchises last year. While the ECB have already distributed tens of millions of pounds from the sale to counties with [...]
Manchester Basketball to rival Man City and United for NBA Europe franchise January 20, 2026 The owners of Manchester’s Super League Basketball team are in talks over a bid, backed by private equity or sovereign wealth, for the city’s planned NBA Europe franchise. President Ben Pierson told Morning Wire that their experience in operating professional teams in Manchester and neutrality to its partisan football scene could be assets in the [...]
NBA’s European show dazzles on and off court but new league is no slam dunk January 20, 2026 No one disputes that NBA Europe represents a big opportunity but the lack of detail around 18 months from launch is tempering excitement. The mascots for the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic descended from the O2’s ceiling, celebrities dotted the courtside seats, and the NBA reported a sell-out for its first game in London for [...]
Exclusive: Liverpool and Telegraph owner RedBird working on NBA Europe January 19, 2026 Telegraph Media Group owner and Liverpool FC investor RedBird Capital Partners is working with the NBA on its plans to launch a European basketball league, Morning Wire can reveal. RedBird, which also owns Italian football giants AC Milan, is playing a prominent role in wooing potential investors and partners in the venture at an exclusive [...]
NBA Europe open to sovereign wealth and in talks with family offices January 18, 2026 The NBA is open to sovereign wealth funds buying franchises in its proposed European basketball league, says the US sports giant’s commissioner Adam Silver. Speaking in London ahead of the NBA game on Sunday at the O2 and a presentation to potential commercial partners the following morning, Silver said the league and its advisors were [...]
UK ready to mirror US with female athletes becoming investors January 17, 2026 For three consecutive years, not a single female athlete has appeared among the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes. The bar keeps rising. In 2025, the threshold jumped to $53.6m, up 19 per cent year on year. Coco Gauff, the highest-earning female athlete in the world, made $34.4m and still fell nearly $20m short. Meanwhile the global [...]
NBA Europe suffers setback as Barcelona eye EuroLeague extension January 13, 2026 The NBA’s plans to launch a new basketball league in Europe next year appear to have suffered a setback after Barcelona reportedly decided against signing up to the ambitious project. Barcelona, one of the continent’s most successful and prestigious teams, were among the established names courted by the NBA and its advisors JPMorgan and Raine [...]
Exclusive: O2 Arena open to hosting NBA Europe after record-breaking year December 30, 2025 The owners of London’s O2 Arena have insisted they have enough days in their calendar to host a NBA Europe franchise in the capital should the league launch in 2027. The US basketball league is exploring the possibility of setting up a European equivalent, tapping into major football club brands this side of the pond. [...]
NBA return to pump £100m into economy as London gears up for 2026 December 29, 2025 NBA’s two-year return to the UK is expected to boost the economy by £100m as top flight basketball ends its six-year hiatus. Memphis Grizzlies will host Orlando Magic at the 20,000-capacity O2 Arena in January 2026 before Manchester’s Co-op Live hosts its first regular season NBA match in 2027. Between the two matches the UK [...]