Even though basketball retains a solid presence across Britain, when putting it in the context of the UK’s sporting scene, it often lives in the background. The UK’s sports scene is still heavily dominated by football, horse racing, rugby and the summer obsession of cricket. But there have been signs that the interest in basketball across the UK is entering a “breakout growth” period, having jumped to 13th place overall in UK sports engagement.
The increase is being largely driven by the Gen Z population, as basketball is now the 6th most popular sport among the 18-24 year old demographic. Despite there being major continental competitions across Europe like the EuroLeague and EuroCup, basketball is a sleeping giant that is awakening in the UK. This movement is likely to cause a massive shift in the sport’s associated betting markets as well, but the big question of whether basketball can break into the mainstream remains.
NBA Dominates Betting
Understandably, as it’s the most high-profile, richest league in the world, the NBA dominates basketball betting markets, even at UK bookmakers. Punters can find high odds and see bonuses that can be used to bet on this tournament. Furthermore, basketball betting in the UK is heavily focused on the American league due to its star power, with renowned players such as Steph Curry, LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama.
In late 2025, the NBA entered a new broadcast partnership with Prime Video, which has massively boosted the UK viewership for the league, which has translated into even further betting interest in the NBA. Earlier this year, the Orlando Magic vs. Memphis Grizzlies game at the O2 Arena in London had a record, sell-out crowd of more than 18,000. It also became the most-watched NBA Global Game ever in the UK.
Now, thanks to a new wave of changes, basketball could move from being a secondary sport for bettors to a primary one, as people will have “local” options to follow, analyse, and bet on. This would all be kicked off with the touted new “European League” from the NBA.
Creating a Catalyst
British basketball has historically been underfunded and lacked infrastructure. But that’s something which the London Lions have helped to change in recent years. By pushing its way into the EuroCup, the franchise has proven that professional, high-level basketball can thrive in the capital, serving as a good model for other clubs and providing a degree of comfort that the appetite for the sport is out there.
With the proposed new NBA-FIBA European League on the horizon, basketball’s profile is going to be raised further, with London and Manchester tagged as hubs. This is essentially the NBA’s organisational model being transplanted into Europe, and with its backing, the sport should grow exponentially by tapping new markets.
With a total of 14 to 16 teams, including 10-12 of those being reserved for the “founding franchises” like London, Manchester, Paris, and Berlin, the remaining spots in the new league would be open for teams from domestic competitions to take a spot in what would be the new top tier of European basketball. The league would be an NBA business, and the game would remain under FIBA regulations, maintaining the European identity of competition.
Broadening Betting Horizons
Overall, the introduction of the NBA-FIBA European League has the potential to shake up the current UK interest in basketball betting and is likely to break basketball into the mainstream. With a higher profile competition and British interest, media reports on the competition are going to generate greater interest, to which bookmakers are likely to react.
It should ultimately lead to a more diverse range of betting options on matches for interested bettors to browse through, along with greater in-play coverage and all on the back of an increased presence of basketball stats and insights, the likes of which are currently easy to find for the mega-popular NBA.
The Current Scene
The current highest level of European competition is the EuroLeague, to which teams are invited based on their commercial potential and performance. There are currently no British teams in the relatively closed shop of EuroLeague, which is why the interest in the now standard-bearing London Lions is so big, as the winner of the EuroCup can earn a direct promotion to that top tier.
The formation of the new British Super League Basketball (SLB), which was launched in 2024, has helped to stabilise the professional game in the UK, giving the likes of the London Lions, Leicester Riders and Manchester Basketball stronger platforms. But even down in the third tier of cross-border competitions, the Basketball Champions League (BCL), British interest is generally very limited. But the new competition will likely breathe new life into the UK basketball scene.
