This past January saw a slew of headlines regarding the possibility of a new international professional basketball league involving Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and LeBron James’ business partner, Maverick Carter.
But while, like many, Bill Simmons initially dismissed such discussions as “bulls**t,” the Sports Guy has since changed his tune.
On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Ringer founder discussed the state of the NBA with Kirk Goldsberry. And in doing so, Simmons revealed that while he originally thought that Carter and Co. were attempting to leverage the NBA regarding the ownership of a potential expansion team in Las Vegas, he now thinks the prospect of a rival international league is a strong possibility.
“They have got a s**tload of money for this and a plan,” Simmons said of the league. “And everything I’ve heard is that it’s kind of real. I don’t know if they have all the money yet, but they have enough that — could you form a six-team league and convince five, six, seven stars to basically jump when their contracts [are up]?”
The ex-ESPN columnist proceeded to speculate about the possibility of the potential league making a run at Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić, who can be a free agent as early as 2026. And while the idea of a star of Dončić’s caliber leaving the NBA for another league — let alone one without a proven track record — might seem far-fetched now, we’ve already seen the way in which Saudi Arabia’s money has shifted the paradigms in golf and soccer.
“Could this be a LIV situation?” Simmons said, referring to the Saudi Arabia-backed golf league. “What does he care? He doesn’t have any loyalty to the NBA. He just got traded. Could you build a league and have like six, seven Luka-type guys? ‘Hey Luka, here’s a hundred million dollars a year, you’re playing a 35-game season and you’re gonna be the face or one of the faces of this league.’
“Like I think it’s real. And I think the NBA owners are a little more worried about it than I think has been reported so far.”
While Simmons may not be a Shams Charania-type insider, he’s clearly well-connected in the NBA, especially at the ownership level. As such, his comments regarding the potential viability of a Saudi Arabia-backed rival league are certainly noteworthy and breathe new life into a story that many — himself included — didn’t give much credence to when it was first reported two months ago.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.