Any time LeBron James is seen with an agent that isn’t Rich Paul, the NBA world holds its breath. That’s exactly what happened when photos surfaced of James lounging on a Saint-Tropez yacht with Misko Raznatovic — the man who represents Nikola Jokic. Add Maverick Carter into the mix, and it looked like the beginning of a blockbuster trade rumor.

Turns out, the meeting had nothing to do with James’ NBA future — and maybe that’s the most shocking part. Raznatovic dropped a cryptic Instagram caption from the trip: “The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for fall 2026!” That single sentence set the rumor mill ablaze. But Front Office Sports did some digging — and uncovered the real story.

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.

LeBron James is reportedly gearing up to launch his own international basketball league by next year. Maverick Carter has been quietly developing a startup league since early 2025, featuring six men’s and six women’s teams. This Saint-Tropez link-up is the first real sign that James is directly involved.

So, no — Jokic isn’t jumping ship. But LeBron is building one. And it might just change global basketball forever.

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?

Maverick Carter has reportedly been raising close to $5 billion to launch the league — an ambitious play even by LeBron’s standards. But once the money’s in place, the real question kicks in: Who’s actually going to play in this thing? Details remain under wraps.

Will it welcome international stars? Tap into the EuroLeague? Could it feature retired legends, a la the BIG3? Or is it something entirely different? One thing’s already clear: If any NBA or WNBA players want to get involved, it won’t be without consequences. Because joining LeBron’s league may force them to pick a side — and it won’t be with Adam Silver.

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.