Cuban: NBA Is Walking Into ‘Hornet’s Nest’ in Europe
Mark Cuban expressed concerns about the NBA's plans for a European league, describing the financial requirements as excessive. He believes that entering the European market could alienate passionate local fans. Cuban prefers to invest in smaller leagues where he can build a team from the ground up rather than risk backlash in a competitive environment.
- ▪Mark Cuban stated he cannot justify the $500 million to $1 billion cost for an NBA franchise in Europe.
- ▪Cuban compared the NBA's proposed European league to a 'hornet's nest' due to the strong loyalty of local fans.
- ▪He prefers to invest in smaller leagues where he can develop a team rather than face potential hostility in Europe.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cuban-nba-walking-hornet-nest-165446941.html","headline":"Cuban: NBA Is Walking Into ‘Hornet’s Nest’ in Europe","datePublished":"2026-05-19T16:54:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-19T16:54:46.000Z","keywords":["Mark Cuban","NBA","the NBA","Mavericks"],"description":"The ex-Mavs majority owner is worried about the passion of European fans.","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yahoo Sports","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/icons/favicon_y112_112.png","width":112,"height":112},"url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Dennis Young","url":"","jobTitle":""},"creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Dennis…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Yahoo Sports.