LeBron James And His Business Partner, Maverick Carter, Reportedly Are In Talks Of Raising $5B For An International Basketball League
LeBron James reportedly is advocating for an international league.
ESPN reports that Maverick Carter, James’ business manager, was considering a $5 billion raise to launch an international basketball league with the help of multiple private equity funds. According to CBS Sports, the league would compete directly with the NBA. James, who is playing with the Los Angeles Lakers under a $52.6 million player option for the 2025-2026 season, has expressed interest in NBA team ownership, particularly for Las Vegas.
When the international league was announced, James was reportedly not involved with its plans. However, he may now be taking part. Front Office Sports mentions there was a meeting held in France between Carter, James, and Miško Ražnatović — the European agent of Denver Nuggets player Nikola Jokić — regarding the international league, according to sources close to the matter.
Details surrounding the league include having six men’s and six women’s teams that travel to play in eight cities worldwide. The league also intends for players to have a stake in the organization, an arrangement not found in the WNBA or NBA. Other leagues are breaking away from traditional business models as well. This includes Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 basketball league that reportedly offers the highest women’s salaries in sports and allocates equity to players, as AFROTECH™ previously told you. However, Carter’s league, unlike Unrivaled, will require a full-time commitment. Therefore, players who participate will not be able to participate in the NBA, according to Front Office Sports.
In an Instagram post, Ražnatović shared a hint of “big plans” on the way, fueling further speculations around the launch of the international league.
“The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026,” he wrote on Instagram.
The NBA is also considering expanding to a league in Europe partnering with FIBA, the global governing body for basketball. However, EuroLeague officials are less interested.
“We said to them, like we said publicly, we don’t believe that the new league is something that would help the market,” EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejūnas said, per The Guardian.
