Luka Dončić-backed group to buy Italian team with NBA Europe hopes: Sources

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić has joined a high-powered investor group led by former Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson that is on the verge of purchasing Vanoli Basket Cremona, an existing Serie A club in northern Italy, with the long-term goal of planting an NBA Europe franchise in Rome, multiple sources confirmed to The Athletic.

Nelson, 63, has reached a preliminary agreement to acquire Vanoli Basket, a current license holder in Italy’s top-flight Liga Basket Serie A, according to three sources familiar with the negotiations. The purchase is viewed as a strategic first step toward establishing a new Rome-based outfit in Commissioner Adam Silver’s proposed NBA Europe competition, targeted to tip off in September 2027.

Dončić, 26, who was famously drafted by Nelson and the Mavericks after a draft-night swap with Atlanta in 2018, is part of the investor syndicate, sources on both sides of the Atlantic said. While Italian outlet La Gazzetta Dello Sport floated Dirk Nowitzki as another participant, Nowitzki’s spokesman told The Athletic the report is inaccurate. Lithuanian legend Rimas Kaukenas, a longtime star in Italian basketball, is also involved, one source added.

A spokeswoman for Dončić declined comment; Nelson and Vanoli Basket officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Under Serie A regulations, a new ownership group must wait two seasons before rebranding or relocating a franchise. Nelson’s consortium intends to honor that timeline while laying groundwork for a Rome entry that would compete concurrently in Serie A and NBA Europe, sources said.

Silver has identified Rome among 12 desired markets for the league, alongside Milan, London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Munich, Athens and Istanbul. The buy-in for a London franchise alone is expected to exceed $1 billion, underscoring the need for deep-pocketed partners beyond Dončić and Nelson. Rome currently lacks a top-tier professional basketball team, leaving the market open for a first-mover advantage.

Last month in London, Silver convened prospective stakeholders including representatives from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, RedBird Capital, Lazard, Sixth Street, Blackstone, Arctos and BC Partners. JP Morgan Chase and the Raine Group are advising the NBA on investor relations.

Dončić, a product of the European development pipeline that Silver hopes to harness, rose through Real Madrid’s academy before starring for the senior side and jumping to the NBA. His involvement signals a marquee name attached to the continent-wide venture.

Other NBA figures are already positioning themselves in the new league. Kevin Durant purchased a minority stake in Paris Saint-Germain via Arctos in 2024; PSG is expected to field a basketball team in NBA Europe. Tony Parker owns ASVEL Basket near Lyon, widely anticipated to join, while Pau Gasol is weighing a leadership role within the league office.

Ownership rules remain fluid. No limits on current players holding equity have been finalized, though any NBA Europe owner cannot control more than five percent of an existing NBA franchise, a high-ranking league official told The Athletic, citing conflict-of-interest concerns among the 30 North American governors who will share in the European league’s revenues.

Beyond the 12 permanent licenses, four additional berths will be available annually. One will go to the FIBA Champions League winner; three more will emerge from a FIBA-organized qualifying tournament featuring top domestic-league performers. Those qualifiers are slated for June 2027, international sources said.

For now, Nelson and Dončić’s group must shepherd Vanoli Basket through the current Serie A season while preparing for a 330-mile move south to the Italian capital and the global stage that awaits.