While LeBron James made headlines for being seen with Nikola Jokic‘s agent, the reason wasn’t because James is interested in courting the Serbian to the Los Angeles Lakers. 
Instead, James and his agent, Maverick Carter, met with Miško Ražnatović to discuss a new international basketball league. According to Front Office Sports, Carter is set to ‘spearhead’ the new league and hopes to raise $5 billion before it begins.
In Ražnatović’s Instagram post featuring both James and Carter, he wrote “The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026,” which sparked immediate speculation about the Lakers and Nuggets. Instead, the meeting likely had nothing to do with James and Jokic teaming up, but instead focused on the potential new league that could rival the NBA.
Bloomberg initially reported on the new international league in January, and Front Office Sports confirmed that Carter was a key part of the initiative, but said James had no vested interest.
A New Rival To The NBA
In February, the Financial Times reported that the new international league would directly compete with the NBA.
Unlike Unrivaled, a women’s league scheduled around the WNBA season so players can participate in both, this new project would require full-time commitment. However, it would allow players to have ownership shares of the teams they play for, something not allowed in the NBA.
While the NBA itself has made recent headlines for its initiatives to go abroad, the new international league would likely enter as a LIV Golf equivalent competitor. Teams would play in multiple cities across the globe, in a format similar to Formula One, traveling to a new location each week for competitions.
According to Front Office Sports, the new league would feature six men’s and six women’s teams, use a touring format across multiple cities, receive backing from global investors, and allow players equity ownership opportunities.
The NBA and EuroLeague rank as the top two basketball leagues in the world. While specifics on this new international league are still uncertain, it would foil the NBA’s plans for intercontinental expansion, as well as cast a shadow on the EuroLeague.
LeBron Not Joining The Nuggets Or Courting Jokic To L.A.
James appeared in the picture when Carter and Ražnatović met, but Front Office Sports says he is not involved in the new league. He also wasn’t there to try to convince Jokic’s representation to join him on the Lakers, or discuss a potential move for himself to join the Nuggets.
Instead, James’ Lakers have made moves to acquire Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton, and Jake LaRavia, while they lost Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency.
Jokic’s Nuggets added Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway, and Jonas Valanciunas, while losing Michael Porter Jr. and Russell Westbrook over the summer.
Both James and Jokic earn more than $50 million per year on their current contracts, so jeopardizing that money to be involved with this new league sounds unlikely.
