Adam Silver announced the hiring of Artūras Karnišovas, a 55-year-old former Chicago Bulls vice president and Lithuanian national-team star, as the NBA’s consultant for the forthcoming NBA Europe league. Karnišovas will advise the commissioner on governance, game rules, talent identification, player pathways and youth-development strategy, and will serve as the primary liaison between the NBA, NBA Europe, its prospective clubs and FIBA.
The NBA Board of Governors is set to review the second round of ownership bids on Tuesday. Bids are clustering between $500 million and $1 billion, reflecting the scale of the venture. The league has identified twelve target cities, London, Paris, Rome, Milan, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Athens, Manchester, Istanbul, Berlin and Munich, as the core markets for franchise locations. More than twenty existing basketball and football clubs, many of which compete in the EuroLeague, have submitted proposals.
Among the interested parties is Real Madrid, a soccer powerhouse that fields a EuroLeague basketball team. The club is renewing its EuroLeague license while exploring a potential NBA Europe slot. Those license agreements contain exit clauses valued at roughly €10 million, giving clubs flexibility while they consider joining the new competition.
Karnišovas’s background uniquely positions him to bridge the NBA’s commercial ambitions with Europe’s basketball culture. His playing career for Lithuania in the 1990s and his front-office experience with the Bulls give him insight into NBA operations, while his longstanding relationships with FIBA and EuroLeague stakeholders provide credibility on the continent. This dual perspective should help shape league rules and player pathways that respect existing club structures rather than imposing a foreign model.
The hire fits within the NBA’s broader global-expansion strategy, which has previously targeted markets in China and Africa. Ongoing discussions about a possible merger with the EuroLeague suggest the league is not merely adding a parallel competition but may be reshaping the top tier of European basketball. By appointing a figure with deep ties to both sides, the NBA signals a collaborative approach that could smooth negotiations with clubs that have entrenched fan bases and financial commitments.
With the Board of Governors convening in Las Vegas later this week, the league is poised to move from the bidding phase into operational planning. Karnišovas will likely begin shaping the competition schedule, player eligibility rules and a scouting network that feeds talent between NBA Europe and the NBA. Those decisions will determine whether the league can attract marquee European talent and deliver a product that resonates on both continents.
