LeBron James Reportedly Met with Nikola Jokic's Agent About New Basketball League
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James could be looking to expand his business portfolio soon.
Per Front Office Sports' Ben Horney, Daniel Roberts and Alex Schiffer, James, along with his business partner Maverick Carter, met with Nikola Jokić’s European agent about a new international basketball league last week.
Jokić’s agent, Miško Ražnatović, posted an Instagram photo of himself with James and Carter on a boat in Saint Tropez, France, last week.
"The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026!" the caption read.
Naturally, that picture led to speculation about James and Jokić possibly teaming up in Los Angeles or Denver, though Front Office Sports reported that the meeting was not about the Lakers or Nuggets.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported in January that Carter was serving as an advisor to a group of investors, backed by a handful of private equity funds, who are "seeking to raise $5 billion to form an international basketball league." Charania initially reported that James was not involved, though it's unclear whether that has changed in recent months.
Charania reported that the league would consist of six men's teams and six women's teams that would play games around the world and "serve as a rival to the NBA."
The Financial Times reported that the new league has received funding from the Singapore government, SC Holdings, Riyadh’s Public Investment Fund, UBS, Skype founder Geoff Prentice, and former Facebook executive Grady Burnett. The Financial Times also reported that the startup league is expected to require "full-time" responsibility, meaning players could not participate in both it and another league.
According to Front Office Sports, the new league would play in one city for a week or a weekend and move to another the following week, similar to LIV Golf or Formula One.
As Carter looks to start his new league, the NBA already has its eye on an international league of its own.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters in March that the NBA is exploring a European league in partnership with FIBA. Silver said in March that he felt "now is the time to move to that next stage."
The NBA also announced Wednesday that it will play six regular-season games in Europe over the next three seasons.
