Inside the Gulf States’ Multibillion-Dollar Push to Shape Global Basketball
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Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — Moments before the first contest of the 2025-26 NBA preseason tipped off at Etihad Arena, Knicks owner James Dolan and league commissioner Adam Silver stood shoulder to shoulder alongside His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Abu Dhabi’s chairman of culture and tourism. Their united front underscored a fast-moving effort by Gulf sovereign wealth funds to steer the next phase of professional basketball.
Strategic alliances with the NBA
• The Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) Abu Dhabi last summer became the Knicks’ jersey-patch sponsor and later struck a separate agreement with Dolan’s Sphere Entertainment to build a Sphere venue in the UAE, plus additional sites across the Middle East and North Africa over the next decade.
• The NBA is finalizing a long-term extension with the DCT that will lock in annual preseason games in Abu Dhabi and establish an NBA Global Academy on the New York University Abu Dhabi campus. Sources told ESPN the pact is expected to run well into the 2030s.
• League officials are also in advanced discussions with Al Mubarak about investing in NBA Europe, a proposed NBA-branded competition that could debut in 2027 by luring established clubs and adding expansion teams. Abu Dhabi is weighing a franchise in Manchester, complementing its ownership of Manchester City FC.
Silver called Abu Dhabi “dream investors,” citing the emirate’s track record of long-term spending and sports innovation. Dolan, whose $2.3 billion Las Vegas Sphere has posted more than $1 billion in losses, sought Gulf backing after a planned London sibling venue was shelved in 2024.
Middle East money ripples through Europe
Gulf influence is already reshaping basketball on the continent:
• Dubai Basketball, founded in 2023, received a five-year EuroLeague wild-card and debuted this month against Serbia’s KK Partizan. The arrangement includes covering visiting teams’ travel of up to seven hours.
• Etihad Airways and the DCT replaced Turkish Airlines as EuroLeague title sponsors in a four-year agreement, while Emirates became naming partner of the NBA Cup in 2024.
• Last spring, Abu Dhabi hosted the EuroLeague Final Four—its first staging outside Europe—and sold out the event.
Competing investment vehicles
• In April, Mubadala Capital committed $10 billion to Mark Walter’s TWG Global. Two months later, TWG agreed to buy a controlling stake in the Los Angeles Lakers at a $10 billion valuation, further entrenching UAE capital in the NBA’s marquee franchise.
• The Qatar Investment Authority purchased 5% of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, parent company of the Washington Wizards, in 2023. Qatar will also host the 2027 FIBA World Cup and, through Qatar Sports Investments, has explored an NBA Europe entry possibly tied to soccer giant Paris Saint-Germain. In 2025, PSG granted Kevin Durant a minority share as part of an expanded partnership.
• Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, via events company Sela, has been linked to “Project B,” a proposed global basketball circuit now pivoting toward a women’s league. Recruitment efforts included LeBron James’ business partner Maverick Carter, who has since exited the venture.
Human-rights scrutiny
Partnerships with Gulf states have drawn criticism. Human Rights Watch last year warned the NBA that the UAE uses high-profile events to mask “systemic human rights violations,” including gender inequality. The league responds that it follows U.S. government guidance on international business and points to a reported 400% jump in basketball participation in the UAE over the past five years.
EuroLeague braces for NBA Europe
With the NBA targeting London, Paris and potentially Manchester and Madrid for its new circuit, EuroLeague executives acknowledge the threat. Hall of Famer Tony Parker, owner of France’s ASVEL, said an NBA Europe league is “just a matter of time.” Clubs such as Alba Berlin and Turkey’s Galatasaray have publicly expressed interest in jumping ship.
Looking ahead
Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum met this summer with officials in London, Paris and Madrid to gauge interest and logistics. The league is also exploring an NBA game in Manchester during the 2026-27 season as groundwork for expansion.
“We are thinking about the long term, not just the next couple of years,” Al Mubarak said. “I believe that this partnership with the NBA will outlive me.”
Source: ESPN
