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Chus Bueno has chosen the StreamTime Sports podcast to make his move. The Spanish CEO of the Euroleague, in office since the beginning of 2026, has shared his vision of negotiations with the NBA on his European league project. The message boils down to one formula: let's collaborate, but don't ask us to disappear.
A former NBA insider who knows both houses
Having passed through the NBA's New York offices, where he oversaw international operations, he knows the ins and outs of both organizations.
Bueno, 52, didn't land in Barcelona by chance. Having passed through the NBA's New York offices, where he oversaw international operations, he knows the ins and outs of both organizations. His hybrid profile weighed in his appointment: the Euroleague was looking for an executive capable of speaking the language of the American league while defending the interests of European clubs.
In the interview, he doesn't hide his skepticism about the NBA Europe franchise project that would directly compete with the Euroleague. "Fragmenting the market would be a destruction of value for everyone," he said, echoing an argument already made before FIBA in the spring. His solution: integrate the NBA project into the existing ecosystem rather than building a parallel structure.
"We have never been stronger"
Bueno's position is based on hard numbers. The Euroleague is coming out of a renegotiation cycle where nearly all shareholder clubs—including ASVEL, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Fenerbahçe—have signed ten-year commitments. TV audiences are growing in key markets, average arena attendance exceeds 10,000 spectators, and the new broadcast deal with IMG guarantees increased visibility.
"We will never disappear," Bueno insisted, responding to those who see NBA Europe as an existential threat to the continental competition. However, he acknowledged that a rapprochement is "absolutely possible" if both parties are willing to show flexibility—hence the interview's title.
The calendar, the crux of the matter
The main point of friction remains the schedule. The NBA envisions a European league aligned with the North American model, with a winter regular season. The Euroleague, for its part, cannot move its dates without clashing with national championships, FIBA windows, and the Women's EuroLeague.
Bueno mentioned a meeting planned for July between the three entities—NBA, Euroleague, and FIBA—to try to unblock this issue. No specific date has leaked. FIBA Europe's executive director, Kamil Novak, had mentioned in June a "common will to move forward," without further details.
Paris and ASVEL on the front line
For the two French clubs in the Euroleague, the stakes are concrete. Paris Basketball, which is playing its second season in the elite, needs stability to consolidate its economic model. ASVEL, for its part, recently secured its license for ten years while keeping "an eye on NBA Europe," in the words of its president Tony Parker.
Villeurbanne actually hesitated for a long time before resigning: the prospect of NBA Europe, which some present as a gateway to FIBA's Basketball Champions League, served as an attractive alternative. The final choice to stay within the Euroleague fold testifies to the confidence placed in Bueno's roadmap.
The Spaniard is playing a delicate hand. He must reassure his historic clubs, stand up to an NBA that weighs a few billion more than him, and convince FIBA that a tripartite solution is preferable to a trench war. The interview on the StreamTime Sports podcast is the most recent act. It won't be the last.