So when it was first revealed by Front Office Sports this week that Carter is no longer part of the plans \u2014 at least for now \u2014 it sparked confusion about what that might mean for this audacious venture if his cachet was no longer part of the calculus. Yet according to Grady Burnett, a former Google and Facebook executive who is the co-founder of this venture that\u2019s known as Project B, a women\u2019s league is still being built and a men\u2019s league could still be created as well.<\/p>\n
As Burnett told The Athletic, Project B is set to begin with the women\u2019s basketball league, in large part, because of the immense growth and interest in the sport. It will feature six teams of 11 players each that play seven two-week tournaments in cities across Asia, Europe and the Americas, and is already two years in the making. Burnett believes it can be a multi-billion dollar business.<\/p>\n
The league, which he started with Skype co-founder and longtime friend Geoff Prentice, is looking to attract top players across the world. It has already begun negotiating with some WNBA stars, league sources said, and Burnett confirmed that they have already signed WNBA players.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe growth in women\u2019s sports rivals anything in AI right now,\u201d Burnett told The Athletic, explaining why it is launching with women\u2019s basketball. \u201cIt is truly majestic.\u201d<\/p>\n
The salaries that women\u2019s basketball players could draw in this league are expected to be significantly higher than the ones they earn in the \u2018W.\u2019 Yet with WNBA players making a strong push to secure a much bigger piece of the revenue pie in forthcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations this offseason, league officials are widely expected to make a push of their own for players to compete exclusively for their league. Either way, almost all veteran WNBA players will be free agents this offseason.<\/p>\n
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\n Former WNBA player Alana Beard, here in a 2018 file photo, will serve as Project B\u2019s \u201cchief basketball officer.\u201d (Rich von Biberstein \/ Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
But those are issues to be resolved another day. For now, Burnett said, the focus for the Plan B group is to create a quality leadership team that legitimizes their long-term goals.<\/p>\n
Alana Beard, the former Duke and WNBA star, will serve as chief basketball officer. Candace Parker, Steve Young, Novak Djokovic, and Sloane Stephens are among the investors and advisors, Burnett said. Sela, an entertainment company owned by the Saudi-owned Public Investment Fund, will be a partner, while Project B will be headquartered in Singapore.<\/p>\n
Burnett and Prentice were once roommates at the University of Michigan. That background, Burnett said, informed how they plan to run the league. Much like early employees in tech companies receive equity in those companies, Burnett wants to do the same with Project B. That will come with salaries that are, he said, \u201cmultiples higher than what exists in women\u2019s professional sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSport has become this massive global asset class,\u201d he said. \u201cFor the vast majority, the players have not participated in the economics of that, and they\u2019ve sat on the outside of it. That is something that is frustrating to athletes, and is \u2014 as sort of the central resources, central IP within that business \u2014 the driver of it. We think it\u2019s really important to start with equity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The women\u2019s basketball league, Burnett said, intends to launch next fall. It will run from November through April, so it will not overlap with the WNBA season \u2014 but will with Unrivaled, another upstart basketball league.<\/p>\n
Burnett said the league hopes to reach the many basketball fans who live outside the United States. While the league will initially avoid the WNBA season, he doesn\u2019t discount that it could eventually become a competitor to the WNBA.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see this as something that will be helpful to lifting athletes across all sport and bringing more access and proximity to fans across the world,\u201d he said. \u201cSo does it put us in competition? Maybe. But I think we\u2019re trying to do something that is additive to the sport and to the overall ecosystem. And we\u2019ve got tremendous respect for the W and other leagues that are out there but we think there\u2019s plenty of room for another offering.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, where does that leave the plans for a men\u2019s league that could create chaos in the NBA? That remains unclear.<\/p>\n
When Carter was involved, there were comparisons being made to the controversial LIV Golf league, in large part, because of the presence of Saudi partners and the prospect of James\u2019 possible involvement. Several sources close to star players indicated that there is a genuine curiosity on their part to see where this all goes, with players and their agents drawn by the allure of making even more money in this league and, potentially, being given the kind of equity stakes that aren\u2019t available in the NBA. But Carter\u2019s lack of involvement could be a game-changer on that front.<\/p>\n
Still, Burnett did not dispute that Project B could expand into men\u2019s basketball, including a possible launch as soon as next fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to focus on the women\u2019s side at this point,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s natural to assume that we will do other things after that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NBA\u2019s standard player contract specifically bars players from playing for any other league, if a player is signed to a deal with a team. Burnett said that it will \u201ccross that bridge on other leagues or on other potential conflicts in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The potential league has already brought on intrigue across the NBA, where it first came into view with Carter involved. Burnett said Carter had helped Project B \u201calong the way, but he is not involved at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the new global basketball venture is moving forward, people with NBA backgrounds have interviewed for jobs in the new league, multiple league sources told The Athletic. It was not immediately clear why Carter is no longer a part of the group or when the split occurred, but a league source said Carter was taking meetings about a new league as late as last week. The Athletic has also identified at least three people with backgrounds in the NBA who have interviewed for jobs in the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis group came to Maverick for consultation, which he gave, and he subsequently stepped away months ago,\u201d a spokesperson for Carter told The Athletic. \u201cHe is no longer working with them or any other basketball league in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is wide speculation that James, who turns 41 in December, could retire from the Los Angeles Lakers as soon as the end of this season, his 23rd in the NBA. James is playing out the final year of his contract with the Lakers, worth $52.6 million, the first time he\u2019s ever started a season without at least a player\u2019s option for the following season.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why there was so much buzz when James teased a \u201csecond decision\u201d on social media Monday \u2014 and perhaps, among fans and reporters, a bit of a letdown when the tease was actually revealed to be for an ad campaign for brandy. And that\u2019s why this topic was such a focal point behind the scenes at Lakers media day on Sept. 29, when the questions regarding his next step \u2014 retirement, or perhaps playing in this league \u2014 loomed so large.<\/p>\n