“There’s no top-tier team in the U.K. at all. There’s no top-tier basketball team there, in London, in Manchester,” Tatum said. “There’s no permanent top-tier in the top league there in Paris, in Berlin, in Rome. “… Our idea is to create this league, call it 12 to 16 teams, with the biggest countries having permanent franchises. As Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes, the NBA believes there’s untapped potential in the market.