Luka Dončić Joins Group Buying Italian Basketball Club for Rome Move

Luka Dončić is teaming up with former Dallas Mavericks executive Donnie Nelson to bring basketball to Rome. The group purchased the professional basketball club Vanoli Cremona in Italy's Lega Basket Serie A, it was announced Friday. The ownership group also includes longtime coach Valerio Bianchini and former player Rimantas Kaukėnas.

The club will be relocated to Rome and will begin play there at the start of the 2026-27 season.

The group announced that it has submitted a bid for the team to be Rome's representative for NBA Europe. NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced earlier this year that the NBA, in partnership with FIBA, is working on the NBA Europe league that could launch as soon as the fall of 2027.

Rome is considered to be a target host city for the league that is expected to have up to 16 teams. Other host city targets are London and Manchester in England; Paris and Lyon in France; Munich and Berlin in Germany; Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, plus Milan, Athens and Istanbul.

"I have dreamed about owning a team in Europe for a long time, to finally have this happen is amazing," Dončić said in a statement. "Vanoli has a great history, and we are ready to take it to the next level in Rome. " "Rome deserves world-class basketball, and we are excited to be bringing it back," Nelson said in a statement.

"Vanoli Cremona has a proud history, and we are committed to honoring that legacy as we build toward an exciting future in Rome.