Kenny Atkinson, the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the reigning NBA Coach of the Year, has publicly voiced his support for the NBA’s proposed European league while also emphasizing the distinct advantages of the European club‑based development system. Speaking at the conclusion of the Cavs’ training camp in Málaga last week, Atkinson—who spent nearly a decade playing professionally across Europe and launched his coaching career on the continent—explained why he believes the NBA‑Europe partnership could create new pathways for talent worldwide. “I love the NBA.
I love that we are in talks with FIBA to create this NBA Europe. It’s going to bring more opportunity for players across the globe,” Atkinson told reporters, underscoring his enthusiasm for a transatlantic competition that would blend the best of both basketball cultures.
When asked what qualities European prospects bring that are less common in the American pipeline, Atkinson pointed to the structural differences between the two continents. In Europe, young athletes typically grow up within a club system that integrates them with senior squads from an early age. “The European system is a club system and we just don’t work that way,” he explained to Sky Sports.
“We have the university system, the scholastic system, and it’s just different.” He highlighted the French INSEP program as a prime example. INSEP’s junior team competes in France’s third‑division league, Nationale 1, allowing fifteen‑ to eighteen‑year‑olds to face seasoned professionals on a weekly basis. “They might be playing for the under‑16 team or under‑17, but they also train with the older guys. Or like in France, the INSEP team, the young team, they play in the third division of France, so they’re getting to compete against older players.
I think that mentoring system is really important,” Atkinson said. By contrast, Atkinson noted that the American model often isolates young players within age‑specific leagues—high school, college, or the G League—limiting their exposure to veteran competition.
“In the American system we’re much more playing against your peers and at the same age, and our young players don’t compete against more mature players as much. You learn a lot from veteran players,” he observed. He was careful to stress that neither system is inherently superior.
“Both have their benefits. It’s hard to say this one’s better than this one.
Definitely two completely different ways of developing players,” he added. The factual basis for his comments is clear: INSEP, entered by the French federation as Pole France, competes in Nationale 1 and cannot be promoted or relegated. Its roster last season ranged from 15 to 18 years old, giving those teenagers a rare chance to test themselves against men in their early twenties.
Atkinson’s perspective is informed by personal experience. He played for clubs such as Montpellier, Mulhouse, Nantes, and Évreux in France, as well as stints in Spain and Germany. He began his coaching journey in 2004 as an assistant with Paris Basket Racing and later served on Vincent Collet’s staff when France captured the Olympic silver medal in Paris.
This deep immersion in the European basketball ecosystem gives him a nuanced view that many of his NBA peers lack. When probed about whether a joint NBA‑Europe league could bridge the gap between the two developmental philosophies, Atkinson was optimistic. “I love that. I think it’s going to be better for global basketball, because that cross‑pollination, you’re going to see the best of both worlds,” he said.
He pointed out that the coaching world already reflects a blend of influences: European tactical concepts have seeped into NBA playbooks, while NBA athleticism and pace have inspired European clubs. “We already see in the coaching world the mix of the European influence on the NBA, right?
FIBA influence. And I think vice versa, the NBA has influenced Europe, so we have that in the coaching community. It’ll be great to see it with the players too.” Atkinson even cited a concrete example from his own roster that illustrates the European model’s efficacy. Khalifa Diop, a Senegalese forward, entered the Spanish fourth tier at age 15, debuted in the ACB (Spain’s top league) at 19, and was selected 39th overall by Cleveland in the 2022 draft.
The Cavaliers allowed Diop to remain in Spain for four additional seasons before bringing him to the NBA, a development path that mirrors the European club approach of gradual, competitive growth. The broader NBA‑FIBA collaboration has been underway since March 2025, with plans for a 16‑team pan‑European league—12 permanent franchises plus four annual qualifiers—targeting a launch in the autumn of 2027. Proposed host cities include London and Manchester, and the inaugural regular‑season NBA game in Manchester is slated for January 17, when the New Orleans Pelicans face the San Antonio Spurs at Co‑op Live. Players have already expressed enthusiasm for the concept.
Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill, who was the final pick (60th) in the 2020 draft, told reporters that an NBA‑Europe option would have been attractive had his career taken a different turn. “I had a point in my career where I felt like I was going to end up coming overseas,” Merrill said.
“If that had been the case, something like NBA Europe would have been a great option.” He also raised a financial question that resonates across the sport: the rising salaries in college basketball, now funded directly by universities after the July 2025 policy change, could clash with the compensation model of a new European league. The NCAA cap for 2026‑27 stands at $21.58 million per school, with men’s basketball programs averaging roughly $4.2 million of that budget, and elite Power‑Five schools reportedly spending $7‑10 million per season on roster costs.
The economics of talent migration are already shifting. Recent moves such as Egor Demin leaving Real Madrid for BYU and Dame Sarr heading from Barcelona to Duke illustrate how players weigh financial and developmental incentives. Whether NBA Europe can alter this flow depends largely on the salaries it can offer.
Reports from Sportico suggest franchise bids ranging from $500 million to $1 billion, but neither the NBA nor FIBA has disclosed the player compensation structure for the prospective league. Merrill, who has followed the European game from a distance, praised the intensity and consistency of competition there.
“I love the physicality of the leagues over here,” he remarked. “It’s much more college‑like, where you have your two games a week, and you practice a lot more, and every game feels almost much more important, kind of like a playoff game.” He added that many observers underestimate the quality of the EuroLeague and top domestic competitions, which consistently produce NBA‑ready talent. The next decisive step lies with European clubs. EuroLeague shareholders are scheduled to convene at Villa d’Este in Cernobbio, on Lake Como, to discuss the league’s future amid NBA overtures.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that the assembly will weigh an NBA acquisition proposal against the EuroLeague’s own expansion plan, which aims to grow to 24 teams (21 permanent franchises) beginning in the 2027‑28 season. CEO Chus Bueno has indicated that no formal offer from the NBA has yet arrived, though Eurohoops later reported that an offer was indeed on the table, with both parties remaining tight‑lipped.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has reiterated the league’s commitment to move forward regardless of the EuroLeague’s stance. “We began on this path saying that our plan was to go forward regardless of where the EuroLeague stood,” he said in July. “But it was always our hope that we would be able to create some sort of consolidation of European basketball.
I remain optimistic that we are going to be able to accomplish that.” In summary, Kenny Atkinson’s endorsement of NBA Europe reflects a deep appreciation for the European club model’s emphasis on early exposure to seasoned competition, mentorship, and a holistic development environment. By championing a transatlantic league that could fuse the best elements of both continents, he envisions a future where players, coaches, and fans benefit from a richer, more interconnected basketball ecosystem.