Earlier this week, the basketball world was set on fire after Miško Ražnatović, the agent of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, posted a picture of himself with Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter on a boat in St. Tropez. Naturally, the first thought was that the three parties were discussing a potential team-up. With the ever-cryptic James appearing open to leaving the Lakers as early as this offseason, perhaps he was gauging Jokic’s interest in being teammates.
As it turns out, those three men were indeed politicking about a partnership. It just wasn’t the one that everyone thought.
LeBron James, Maverick Carter’s Reason For St. Tropez Trip
The “mysterious boat meeting last week in France between LeBron James, his business partner Maverick Carter, and Nikola Jokić’s European agent was about the planned international basketball league being spearheaded by Carter,” according to Front Office Sports reporters Ben Horney, Daniel Roberts and Alex Schiffer.
In January, Bloomberg’s Gillian Tan, Matthew Monks and Michelle F. Davis noted that Carter was “seeking to raise $5 billion from private capital sources.” They also mentioned that the proposed international league would feature six men’s and six women’s teams playing in eight cities. Front Office Sports reporters A.J. Perez and Daniel Roberts followed up on this story, stating that “the league will operate outside North America, but no other details were offered for any franchise locations, with the exception of Singapore.”
The mention of Singapore is particularly notable, as their government is one of the league’s investors, per Financial Times (h/t Front Office Sports).
“Its investors, according to the Financial Times, include the Singapore government, SC Holdings, Riyadh’s Public Investment Fund, UBS,Skype founder Geoff Prentice, former Facebook executive Grady Burnett. VC firm Quiet Capital and tech investor Byron Deeter are reportedly raising capital. Galaxy Entertainment, which is based in Hong Kong, is also reportedly a partner.”
Back in January, James wasn’t thought to be part of the plan. However, his influence extends far beyond the basketball court, as he’s a highly-regarded businessman himself. With his status and connections, he could accelerate the process of getting the new league up and running.
What Is Ražnatović’s Role?
It’s unclear exactly where Ražnatović figures into all of this.
There’s no doubt that he’s one of the biggest agents in the international circuit. His client base includes not only Jokic, but players such as promising Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic and growing Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic. In international leagues, he represents players like decorated Dubai wing Dzanan Musa.
With that being said, no matter how much money a league has, they need good players. Ražnatović can help them get more than a few.
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