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#210 Szymon Szemberg: NBA Europe, NHL Expansion & the Future of Global Leagues
09/29/2025
#210 Szymon Szemberg: NBA Europe, NHL Expansion & the Future of Global Leagues
Welcome to episode 210 of Sports Management Podcast. Today’s guest is Szymon Szemberg, a reoccurring guest who first appeared on episode 5, almost 5 years ago – and a lot have happened since. Szymon recently wrote an article about the NBA closing in on a league in Europe and if this could lead to an NHL-driven ice hockey league in Europe as well. This topic became even more relevant when NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently stated that such a league could start already in 2027 or 2028. Szymon is the perfect person to discuss this topic. He has been a player, coach and later sports director and managing director of an elite basketball club in Sweden. He has worked as a sports reporter, covering both basketball and hockey. Between 2001-2014, he served as Communications Director for the International Ice Hockey Federation. He was the Champions Hockey League’s project lead and later COO (2013-2015) and most recently he was the Managing Director of EHC, Alliance of European Hockey Clubs, from which he just stepped down after 10 years. We spoke about: Why the NBA is planning a new European league How such a league could be structured If NHL can go the same route, and if so how the league look like Szymon explains the possible 4 scenarios, from least to most likely. We also cover the financial and political implications And much more! Time stamps: 00:01 Intro 02:00 NBA's European League Plans 03:30 The NBA’s move to control the global basketball ecosystem13:30 The NHL’s current strategic advantage 15:45 Expanding NHL franchises directly into Europe 20:45 Financial and Market Considerations for European Leagues 28:50 Potential NHL European League Scenarios and Strategy 35:00 Long-Term Vision and Regional Opportunities 40:00 Outro Follow Sports Management Podcast on social media
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