 "Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic and Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James have been linked to a proposed basketball league that aims to establish itself as a rival to the NBA. Reuters")
Is Los Angeles Lakers icon LeBron James planning to launch a league of his own, one that will rival the National Basketball Association (NBA)? Latest reports certainly indicate that might be a possibility, with Denver Nuggets’ Serbian star Nikola Jokic possibly partnering the power forward in his venture.
What LeBron and Jokic’s proposed rebel league is all about
With LeBron in the twilight of his career and retirement on the horizon, there have been discussions surrounding the possibility of the 40-year-old owning an NBA team after hanging up his boots.
At the same time, there are some who suggest LeBron’s eyeing more than just an NBA team, and is perhaps looking beyond the world’s biggest basketball league that has been in existence for nearly eight decades and is among the ‘Big Four’ of American sport.
A report on Bloomberg in January had revealed that LeBron’s long-time business partner Maverick Carter was advising a group of investors on setting up an international basketball league which aimed to brand itself as the “F1 of basketball”. The proposed league would have an international focus with six men’s and as many women’s teams playing across a host of international locations.
Such a move could lead to the NBA facing serious competition for the first time since its merger with the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1976. Especially since the proposed league is backed by a private capital of $5 billion.
As for Jokic’s entry into the picture, the Serbian center’s agent Misko Raznatovic had recently posted pictures of his meeting with LeBron and Carter on a private yacht on his Instagram account.
While there has been a lot of speculation over LeBron’s meeting with an individual who is considered to be the biggest agent in Europe, the most popular theory at the moment is that of Jokic’s interest in the proposed international league, rather than the two players becoming teammates either at Lakers or at Nuggets.
“The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026!” Raznatovic wrote in his post on Instagram.