NEW YORK – A group of investors are looking to create a basketball league that will span Asia and Europe to one day rival the National Basketball Association (NBA), with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund as a strategic partner and Swiss bank UBS as an adviser.
The Financial Times reported that the US$5 billion (S$6.8 billion) competition plans to create six men’s teams and six women’s teams that will compete in eight host cities.
Singapore and Macau are being considered as hosts.
The organisers are also looking to rope in European cities.
The league also hopes to lure top players from around the world, especially Europe, and give them an alternative to the American league.
Byron Deeter and venture capital firm Quiet Capital are among the investors, while the Financial Times said Maverick Carter, NBA great LeBron James’ business partner, and Skype co-founder Geoff Prentice were also on board.
“When it comes to global basketball, the opportunity is massive,” Deeter said in a statement to the media. “There’s a huge untapped market – millions of fans outside of the US who are eager for us to grow the sport at the elite level.”
Quiet Capital founder Lee Linden said it hopes to deliver a global league to two billion fans.
Saudi events company Sela, owned by the country’s sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Macau casino group Galaxy Entertainment will be strategic partners.
“We’re thrilled to be the global operating partner for this elite basketball circuit and it marks a major milestone in our global expansion. This partnership is set to elevate the game,” Sela said in a statement.
Neil Meyer, UBS’ global co-head of media and telecommunications investment banking, said: “The thesis is simple – basketball is a global game and the world wants more of it.”
Kevin Kelley, the chief operations officer at Galaxy Entertainment Group, said that bringing “high-level basketball” to Macau would make the region a premier destination for tourism.
“We’re thrilled to be strategic partners with this group of leaders. They’re creating a series of unmissable entertainment experiences for fans and we’re all in.”
Singapore’s Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth also welcomed the opportunity to partner with the new league as a potential global headquarters, touting the country’s “excellent infrastructure and our position as a key business and financial hub in Asia”.
“We are at an early stage of exploring the terms of the arrangement and will only assess the issue of investment at the appropriate time,” a ministry spokesperson said.
The NBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Carter did not comment on the project.
PIF, chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has its hands in several sports, including golf, football, motor racing and boxing.
The Saudi-backed LIV Golf, in particular, challenged the established order and created a split in the sport before it announced a shock merger with the PGA Tour – although a deal has yet to be finalised.
The Saudi Pro League also grew rapidly when it poached football talents from Europe’s top leagues with massive transfer fees and wages that many clubs and players could not turn down.
REUTERS
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Publish date : 2025-02-07 20:30:00
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