LeBron James’ manager is creating a $5 billion league to challenge the NBA
If Maverick Carter has his way, the NBA may have some legitimate competition for the first time since merging with the ABA nearly 50 years ago. Carter is part of a group of international industry titans wanting to merge $5 billion to challenge the NBA by playing in eight cities around the world. The concept would be similar to the models used by F1 Racing or LIFE Golfor even what BIG3 is trying to do on a smaller scale in the US
This would mean that no city actually owns any teams. Instead, each team travels to the same city for two weeks, plays a series of games there, and then moves on to the next city, using a rotating schedule.
There would be several differences between this league and the NBA.
That last point is where they believe they have an advantage. If players see ownership as an attractive concept, they may bypass the NBA and play for Carter’s league. The wealth that comes with co-ownership can be generational.
And if the league fails, the players would take no financial risk, other than the taint of being part of such an enterprise. Because where the money comes from to fund the league can create its own set of problems.
2025-01-22 20:11:00
