Euroleague Basketball announced on January 30, that Jesus “Chus” Bueno will be appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer, effective in the coming days. This decision reflects the Board’s continued focus on strengthening the organization’s governance and ensuring the effective execution of its strategic vision for the future.
Bueno, 56, was unanimously elected by the Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA) Board of Directors and will succeed Paulius Motiejunas, who was named CEO in June 2023. Chus Bueno will lead Euroleague Basketball’s overall strategy, with a strong focus on business growth, enhancing the game and fan experience, and expanding into new markets and audiences, while maximizing the value delivered to clubs, partners, players and fans. His mandate is to continue building on the success achieved over the past 25 seasons and to further position the EuroLeague, the BKT EuroCup and the NextGen EuroLeague as the undisputed premier basketball competitions in Europe.
Bueno brings more than 30 years of experience and strategic leadership within the professional sports ecosystem. His career has been closely linked to basketball, both on and off the court. He made his professional playing debut with FC Barcelona during the 1988–89 season and went on to compete for eight seasons with five additional clubs, including Atlético de Madrid and Valencia Basket. Following his retirement as a player, Bueno transitioned into executive and management roles within the basketball industry.
He began his off-court career at the Spanish Basketball Players Association (ABP) before joining the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) in 2006 as Executive Director. During his tenure, the Spanish National Team experienced one of the most successful periods in its history, winning the 2006 FIBA World Championship and the 2009 EuroBasket, as well as earning silver medals at the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2007 EuroBasket.
Bueno later joined the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he served as Vice President, Europe, Africa and Middle East, and Managing Director of NBA Spain. After 12 years with the NBA, he moved to Legends, the global leader in venue management and hospitality, where he was Managing Director of the company’s Iberian operations.
Most recently, Bueno led the creation and development of the basketball vertical at DAZN, the global sports OTT platform, further reinforcing his expertise in media, digital transformation, and fan engagement within the modern sports landscape.
The clubs would like to express their gratitude to Paulius Motiejunas for his service, commitment and dedication during his tenure. Under his guidance, the organization has achieved important milestones and continuous growth that have helped strengthen its position within the basketball ecosystem. The ECA Board of Directors, on behalf of all Euroleague Basketball clubs wish him every success in his future professional endeavors.
The Board of Directors remains fully committed to Euroleague Basketball’s mission of promoting excellence, innovation, and sustainable growth across European basketball.