LOS ANGELES — Lakers star Luka Doncic is part of an investor group that purchased an Italian basketball franchise on Friday morning with the hopes of the team being a part of NBA Europe.
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Along with former Dallas Mavericks executive Donnie Nelson and others, Doncic is a part of an ownership group that bought first-division team Vanoli Cremona, which competes in the Lega Basket Serie A. As part of the ownership transition revealed on Friday, the investor group announced their intentions to move the Northern Italy-based team to Rome and plans to submit a bid to join the NBA’s European expansion league that’s still in the works.
“I have dreamed about owning a team in Europe for a long time, to finally have this happen is amazing,” Doncic said in a statement. “Vanoli has a great history, and we are ready to take it to the next level in Rome. We have an amazing group of partners, and I really believe we can do something special for basketball in Italy and Europe.”
“Since I came to the NBA, my dream was always to own a team in Europe, especially because Europe gave me so much,” Doncic told the New York Times, which first reported the NBA scoring champion’s involvement with the investor group.
Doncic, who as a teenager played for Real Madrid in Spain as a part of FIBA competition before the Dallas Mavericks selected the Slovenian-born guard in the 2018 NBA Draft, posted to Instagram on Friday announcing the venture with a caption that read, “Basketball is coming back to Rome.”
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this year that the league was working alongside FIBA, which governs all international competitions, to develop a European league that is expected to include 16 teams from across major European cities. The NBA, FIBA and Silver, however, have not made any formal announcements about when the league could start; although late 2027 is a long-rumored start date.
Nelson, served as the general manager of the Mavericks, with whom Doncic played the first 6½ seasons of his NBA career before the now-infamous February 2025 trade that sent the six-time All-NBA First Team player to the Lakers.
“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. This city has been without top-flight basketball for too long. That changes now. We are bringing the resources, the expertise, and the passion to make this club a source of pride for Rome and for all Italy.”
Rome has not hosted a top-division professional basketball team since 2020, when Virtus Roma temporarily ceased operations due to lack of investment. Vanoli Cremona finished in 11th place out of 15 teams in the Italian top division in the 2025-26 season, going 11-17.
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