If LeBron James is meeting an agent that’s not Rich Paul, our heart races. That’s the kind of frenzy he caused when he was hanging out with Misko Raznatovic, Nikola Jokic’s agent. James’ business partner, Maverick Carter was there too and it could’ve looked like another casual vacation. That is if Raznatovic didn’t drop a massive hint about plans for fall 2026. Cue the speculation games. Fans have theorized everything from Bron luring Jokic to LA to going to Europe himself. However, it’s not got anything to do with NBA business. Concerningly so.
James, Carter, and Misko Raznatovic (sans Jokic) hung out on a yacht in Saint Tropez, France. Just when we’re all speculating if Bron is going to shake up the offseason, Misko posted on Instagram, “The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026!”
Front Office Sports got to the bottom of those plans. LeBron James is reportedly launching a new international basketball league in the next year. Maverick Carter has been working on a startup league with six mens and women’s basketball teams each since early 2025. This is the first confirmation we have of James being involved.
EXCLUSIVE: LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s meeting on a yacht with Nikola Jokić’s European agent wasn’t random.
Sources tell FOS it was about launching a new global basketball league—backed by Carter.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 30, 2025
What is James’ and Raznatovic’s roles – or even Jokic’s if he’s even directly involved – is unclear. Is James going to be an investor, team owner, player, who knows?
Carter was raising close to $5 billion to launch this league. But once the capital is taken care of, who’s going to play in it? It’s not clear if the league is open to international talent, will involve the EuroLeague, or even retired players like the BIG3. However, if any NBA or WNBA player plans to participate, they’re going to have to pick a side.
LeBron James is creating a multi-million dilemma
Newer basketball leagues are becoming a thing now since Ice Cube made the BIG3 a rival to the NBA. Tracy McGrady has a 1vs1 basketball league for amateurs, Dwight Howard has a league just for international amateur talent. Unrivalled is in tandem with the WNBA offseason so these ladies don’t have to play overseas. The Unrivaled model is the best example of two leagues working together to let the players get the best of both worlds. That is not what LeBron James is going for.
FOS’ source said that Carter and James are expecting players in their international league to take it as a “full-time” responsibility. Hence, any NBA player on contract will not be able to play in both. The scheduling will be so that it will run parallel to the NBA regular season instead of the offseason.
That begs the question why would a player who’s probably making eight figures want to pick a startup? That’s because a lot of players are like Jaylen Brown and Stephen Curry, feeling undervalued for not being allowed equity in the league.
Carter’s borrowing the best aspect of the Unrivaled model and offering equity to the players in his conceptual $5 billion league. Exactly like the ladies’ 3vs3 league, players are incentivized to grow the league with their investment. For now, this is all good on paper. We’d know when more names are attached to it.
The post Bad News For NBA Players As Real Reason Behind LeBron James’ Meeting With Nikola Jokic’s Agent Confirmed appeared first on EssentiallySports.