The 2026-27 SisalClub Serie A League was presented in Milan.
The Palazzina Appiani in Milan hosted the press conference to present the 2026/27 LBA Serie A SisalClub, moderated by LBATV Chief Editor Alessandro Mamoli.
" We face a significant and exciting challenge," said LBA President Maurizio Gherardini , "but to seize all the opportunities, we must start from a fundamental concept: cohesion. Clubs are different entities, with different goals and needs, and results on the field inevitably lead each to look at things from their own perspective. But the LBA is the clubs, and we must increasingly learn to work together, also looking at the bigger picture and believing in the strength the movement can have when it shares the same goals. Another crucial step concerns infrastructure: it hasn't been possible in decades to experience a season with so many new arenas and projects underway. We can't focus on growing only on the field: we must improve the quality of the experience, the facilities, and everything surrounding the game. The growth of individual clubs and their facilities will inevitably lead to the growth of the entire League."
THE SPEAKERS' WORDS
Martina Riva, Councilor for Sport for the City of Milan: "Milan's relationship with basketball is extremely important, not only for major events but especially for the sport's social and educational value. Every year, thousands of hours are dedicated to helping young people learn basketball at municipal facilities, and for us, this represents a concrete investment in the next generation. We are therefore particularly pleased to host such an important event for the start of the season: Milan wants to continue to be a home for basketball and a city where the sport can be increasingly accessible, especially to younger people."
Federica Picchi, Undersecretary for Sport and Youth of the Lombardy Region: " Presenting the new LBA Serie A season in Milan, Lombardy, is particularly significant. Milan is the home of Olimpia, the team that won everything last season: the Scudetto, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa, demonstrating its quality and ambition. In the 2026-27 championship, Lombardy will be represented by three clubs: Olimpia Milano, Pallacanestro Cantù, and Pallacanestro Varese. This presence reaffirms the region's role in the top division, with clubs with prestigious histories. Milan has also always had ties to the Lega Basket, having hosted major events such as the 2025 Supercoppa, confirming its centrality to the national basketball movement."
Giovanni Petrucci, FIP President: " Italian basketball is going through an important phase, and I believe all the conditions are in place for continued growth. We need expertise, capable managers, and people with a deep understanding of the sport, but above all, we need the ability to work in the same direction. Our basketball has already gained ground in Europe and must continue on this path. Big cities are crucial to giving the movement even greater strength and visibility, without forgetting that the provinces and small towns represent the history and roots of Italian basketball. Places like Tortona, which hosted a major Super Cup last weekend, demonstrate that even smaller areas can build top-level projects. I am confident that this League, together with its clubs, can achieve significant results."
Roberto Di Fonzo, CEO of Sisal and Flutter SEA: "For us, sport has always been a way for people to come together, meet, talk, and get excited. We've always been there wherever there's a desire to share a passion. The partnership between SisalClub and LBA represents a new chapter in our identity: we want to support the growth of Italian basketball by creating new experiences and engagement opportunities for fans and enthusiasts, with the goal of further enhancing their passion for this sport."
Andrea Bargnani, LBA Executive Advisor: " Basketball has changed my life, not only professionally but also personally, and at forty, it seemed natural to me to try to put my experience to work for this sport in the role of Executive Advisor. The League is first and foremost an association that serves the clubs, and this means working simultaneously on many fronts: sales, marketing, branding, communications, and institutional relations. The most important challenge is creating and restoring value to the clubs' owners. Not just financial value: those who invest in basketball must truly perceive the value of owning a sports club. If we can strengthen this aspect, we can strengthen the clubs and, consequently, grow the entire movement. My goal is to try to give something back to the sport I love and that has given me so much; it will take time to judge the results, but it is precisely this challenge that motivates me."
Gianluca Gazzoli, LBA Strategic Media Advisor: " Basketball has enormous potential because it's so much more than just what happens on the court: it naturally connects with music, style, culture, and entertainment, and it's capable of attracting very different audiences. The challenge, as LBA Strategic Media Advisor, is to be able to tell it better. You can do the greatest thing in the world, but if you don't know how to communicate it, it's almost as if you haven't done it. We have clubs with extraordinary stories and players with life experiences capable of inspiring new generations: we need to enhance them, create authentic situations, and use communication to bring new people and new partners to the movement, as we tried to do with the Showtime Game during the Final Eight and the summer Faceoff event."
Marco Tiso, Managing Director of Sisal Italy: "Basketball is a sport that thrives on the people who make it special: the players, the fans, and the communities that bring the arenas to life every week. With SisalClub, we want to share this wealth of stories, emotions, and protagonists in a new way, both on and off the court, helping to create an even stronger bond between the league and its fans. Together with the Lega Basket Serie A, we want to give even more visibility and value to a movement that, season after season, continues to grow and excite."
Alessandro Giacomini, Managing Director of Infront Italy : "We are extremely proud of the results achieved for this new LBA season, which has seen a 10% increase in collective sponsorship revenues compared to last year and a 180% increase since the start of our partnership with LBA. The arrival of Sisal Club as Title Sponsor of the championship and Reale Mutua as Official Insurance Partner represents tangible confirmation of the Lega Basket Serie A's strong appeal. This is further enhanced by the valuable trust of our long-standing partners who have renewed their support, and the continuity of leading players who joined last year, such as Amadori, Geely, Locauto, and Lotus Watches. At Infront, we are extremely pleased to see such a buzz in the activations and projects that sponsors will implement throughout the season, leveraging our cross-disciplinary expertise: from digital and technological solutions such as websites, apps, and CRM systems, to phygital activations in arenas to create a direct connection with fans."
Lucio Berta, Group Head of Brand Communication & Media Relations at Reale Mutua: " Our goal isn't just to provide a traditional sponsorship or to place a logo on the courts, but to work with Lega Basket to build a project that restores value to the sport. We want to make our experience available to clubs and, above all, players, supporting them not only throughout their careers but also helping them prepare for what comes after. This is why we work on issues such as welfare and well-being, addressing financial, health, and mental health. We believe that athletes should be able to start building their second career while still playing: it's a concrete way to go beyond sponsorship and create real, lasting value for people."
Matteo Conti, Amadori Chief Marketing Officer: "For us, this partnership means associating the brand with content that has real meaning for people. We want to talk about good nutrition not just in relation to athletic performance, but as part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Basketball represents an ideal context because it's a positive, open sport that can build community. In the first season, we began developing content that combines entertainment and information, and we want to continue along this path by involving champions of today and the past. There's also an educational aspect that's fundamental for us: sports must be accompanied by a healthy diet, and through this collaboration, we can help spread this message among young people, families, and sports clubs."
Federico Ferri, Director of Sky Sport: "The first season of Sky Sport Basket gave us a very important lesson: having a channel entirely dedicated to basketball has led to more people following it throughout the week. It's a positive starting point, but we can be more ambitious. Italian basketball has content, stories, and competitions that are even more valuable than the results we're currently achieving in terms of audience and visibility. We need to work together to better showcase them, ensuring that one event can drive another and building an offering that engages families, young people, and new fans. I don't believe in rivalry between sports: if overall sports consumption grows, basketball's potential to expand its audience also increases. The challenge is to reach young people in particular and transform the movement's large base into an increasingly engaged audience."
Andrea Marini, Deputy Chairman of Deltatre : “We begin this second season as an LBA partner with great expectations for growth and the same enthusiasm as on day one. During these offseason months, we have invested in technology in a completely revamped platform, built to anticipate fans' needs. The LBATV app is now available on all major devices, including Samsung TV, LG TV, and Fire TV. The experience is personalized based on each user's preferences, and we have implemented highly requested features such as the ability to watch a game from the beginning even if it has already started, or multiview to follow multiple matches at the same time. Investment in content will remain significant, with a top-tier talent roster and the confirmation of the most successful LBA Originals series. But to expand our offering, we are also looking beyond the confines of Serie A: we want to continue building content exchanges with other leagues and international competitions, as we did this summer with the Crete International Basketball Tournament, and at the end of last season with the NextGen EuroLeague. Thanks go to the League and all the clubs, who support us.” accompany us on this growth path with the same confidence and vision with which we began it.”
Luca Banchi, Head Coach of the Italian Men's National Team: " All the ingredients are there to envision a new era for Italian basketball, starting first and foremost with the new facilities that have been and are about to be inaugurated across Italy. The League is growing in credibility throughout the continent, and we should be proud that this championship will offer opportunities to both Italian and foreign players. With the opportunity for young players to attend college in the US, we must therefore prepare a platform ready to welcome these young talents when they return to our league, making it increasingly attractive and desirable. We need new faces, and we need these players to demonstrate within the national team that, thanks to the championship, they can reach an ever higher level. As for Serie A itself, as demonstrated by the recent Supercoppa final between Milan and Venice, the balance and competition are extremely high. As head coach, my hope is to see Italian players increasingly prominent."
Photo credit: Ciamillo-Castoria Agency
