BBF shuns SLB with alternate “preferred bidder” for long term pro league license

The British Basketball Federation (BBF) has shunned the Super League Basketball (SLB) after granting “preferred bidder” status for the long-term license of the professional league in Great Britain to a group led by Marshall Glickman.

After putting the long-term license up to tender in October last year, frictions between the SLB and the BBF have continued to rise, Hoopsfix has learned, culminating in the league opting out of submitting an application for the license due to what they felt were unreasonable and unlawful demands on behalf of the BBF.

The terms for the long-term license included a £25,000 fee paid to the BBF just to tender for the license, and an annual fee for the league license starting at £1.5million per year (Hoopsfix understands it was £275,000 for this season and £130,000 under the previous license the British Basketball League held), rising to £2million per year along with a cut of profits and fees for new franchises.

Outside of just the financials, Hoopsfix understands the SLB also felt like the license gave too much control and veto power to the BBF – with reviews every three years, taking away the long term stability the league needs to successfully operate, and giving them control of league expansion, all while refusing to give any franchise exclusivity of any city or region.

While the SLB has been attempting to challenge the process – including raising it with Parliament, the BBF has moved forward with the only group that applied for the license, led by former Euroleague acting CEO Marshall Glickman, together with Chris Dillavou and Arjun Metre; both executives and investors in the sports, media and tech industries.

The BBF and Glickman’s group have now entered an Exclusive Negotiating Period with the objective of finalising the terms of the prospective license.

In their statement, the BBF said “the Board’s unanimous decision is based on the recommendations of a panel comprising two independent experts and the Chair of the Federation’s Finance, Audit & Risk Committee, advised by Onside Law LLP. Alongside technical and other considerations, the panel’s rigorous assessment process included scrutiny of information concerning the source and availability of funds to implement the proposed business plan. Further due diligence will be conducted during the negotiating period.”

Following the BBF statement released on Wednesday afternoon, the SLB released their own statement firing back, saying “we have not, at any time been consulted or included in its development even though we were listed as key stakeholders in the tender application process…

“…As such we will operate the SLB with its continuing success and planned strategic growth but will no longer be under the purview of the BBF.”

The BBF statement added Marshall Glickman’s group will now reach out to the nine clubs currently competing in the men’s professional league, to present its business plan and discuss how the league and clubs can work together going forward.

“This is a pivotal moment as we work to fulfil British Basketball’s enormous potential,” Chris Grant, Chair of the British Basketball Federation said.

“Basketball is the country’s second most-played team sport and the professional game has captured the attention and sparked the passion of Britons of all backgrounds. Marshall Glickman’s group bring huge basketball and business knowhow. They have embraced the vision of British Basketball as a force for good, which can already be seen in the substantial contributions made by the existing professional clubs in their communities. We’re excited at the prospect of growing the game and unleashing basketball’s power to deliver social and economic impact.”

Marshall Glickman, CEO of the preferred bidder group said:

“We are humbled by the British Basketball Federation’s decision to select our group as the preferred bidder to operate and invest in the growth of Great Britain’s top-tier men’s professional basketball league for the long-term.

“The clubs, players and fans are the future of British Basketball and we will work alongside the existing stakeholders to help shape the most competitive, entertaining and financially sustainable basketball league possible. We look forward to working with the BBF to cross the finish line.”

Should Glickman’s group get awarded the license, and the SLB continues to operate as they have said they intend to, it could lead to FIBA involvement with ramifications for both the Great Britain national team and British professional clubs that want to compete in FIBA European competition.

A similar situation has previously occurred in 2014 in Japan where they had two pro leagues trying to operate – Japan were banned from international competition by FIBA until it was resolved.

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