The project is a substantial one, and a club like Tottenham, always attentive to its finances, was never going to ignore it. The Lewis family, owners of Spurs, are considering making an offer for the London franchise in the new NBA Europe. The Athletic has reported the possibility. It would be the family’s first move into another sport, after Joe Lewis acquired a controlling stake in Tottenham in 2001. The Lewis family owns 70.12 per cent of ENIC, Tottenham’s parent company, which in turn owns 87.62 per cent of the club. Vivienne Lewis, Joe’s daughter, and Nick Beucher, Vivienne’s son-in-law and co-CEO of the Tavistock Group, are the main figures representing the family’s interests. Joe has not had direct control since October 2022. Two years ago, he pleaded guilty to insider trading and was sentenced by a New York judge to a $5 million fine, before receiving a presidential pardon from Donald Trump the following year.
The Lewises are part of a consortium alongside two other families with experience investing in sport. One is the Checketts family, which has previously owned MLS club Real Salt Lake and the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. David Checketts, the businessman and sports executive from Salt Lake City, Utah, was formerly general manager of the Utah Jazz and president of the New York Knicks. The Eccles family is also part of the group preparing the bid. Like the Checketts, the Eccles family are co-owners of Burnley, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, and Espanyol. The family has also invested in venues, infrastructure and events for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and ahead of the 2034 Games, which will be held in Utah.
NBA Europe, a joint project between the NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), is due to launch next October. The plan calls for 12 permanent franchises, with another four teams qualifying each year. London has been identified as one of 12 cities being considered to host a franchise, alongside Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Munich, Athens, Istanbul, Rome and Milan. Nikesh Arora, the American technology billionaire and leader of the consortium that bought the most valuable franchise in The Hundred, English cricket’s short-form competition, is understood to have assembled a group of investors prepared to offer more than $1 billion (£740 million) for the London franchise. The still-undeveloped area around Battersea Power Station has also been identified as a possible site, with a new arena potentially built there.