NBA: Minor League

[old skool]

What is there about the "new" rival league that would make them more successful at offering $250-million salaries to concentrate star talent than any other league that is also not encumbered by a salary cap?

The absence of a salary cap is floated here as the huge advantage that could prey on an NBA vulnerability. But that "advantage" is shared by every other basketball league in the world. It is surely not unique.

It's the concentration of talent that matters.

You add a $200m player to one of those leagues and you get talent dilution. It's a gimmick.

You get $200m player on each of 6 teams playing off against each other to crown the best, it's a sport you want to watch.

This is it IMO.

Let’s say 6x200m on average. 1.2billion and you can have the top six players. They are looking to raise 5 billion.

NBA headquarters and team owners must be sweating this.

Your failure to address my question underscores the flaw in the OP.

There is nothing preventing any basketball league in the world from offering players $250-million salaries. The NBA is likely the only league with a salary cap.

Starting a new league without a cap is not earth shattering. It is not a new threat.

Raising $5-Billion would not be earth shattering.

Seeking investors is ....... literally nothing. Happens every day.

[SNPA]

It's the concentration of talent that matters.

You add a $200m player to one of those leagues and you get talent dilution. It's a gimmick.

You get $200m player on each of 6 teams playing off against each other to crown the best, it's a sport you want to watch.

This is it IMO.

Let’s say 6x200m on average. 1.2billion and you can have the top six players. They are looking to raise 5 billion.

NBA headquarters and team owners must be sweating this.

Your failure to address my question underscores the flaw in the OP.

There is nothing preventing any basketball league in the world from offering players $250-million salaries. The NBA is likely the only league with a salary cap.

Starting a new league without a cap is not earth shattering. It is not a new threat.

Raising $5-Billion would not be earth shattering.

Seeking investors is ....... literally nothing. Happens every day.

I have addressed it previously. Those other leagues are minor leagues. This is a super league. This approach has never happened.

[JayMKE]

Don't see this getting off the ground, don't think there is a big market for an "international basketball league" like F1 with teams playing 2 weeks in one city. I doubt this will get investors if it tries to position itself as competition to the NBA so I'm guess its just summer ball which nobody really wants and mainly competes with international competition, nobody is going to care about the teams or cities and it won't have the best players. Its not going to get TV ratings especially for games outside North America where its either tape delayed or on at some weird time, its not going to sustain itself on live gate, these TV markets in other countries aren't going to magically open themselves up to cater to the NBA. Like LOL @ the idea of a game in Tokyo being can't miss TV when it will broadcast at like 7am, yeah I know foreign fans deal with that now but Americans will not. Is the plan to find a some authoritarian country bankroll everything with a "sovereign wealth fund" that desires to sportswash itself? How is this league even going to make money?

Maybe the women's side could be of interest since so much of their international opportunities have gotten screwed over by war in Ukraine but the men no way. NBA lets players represent their national teams which they very much dislike, they're not going to let them have summer jobs. $5B wouldn't be going into player salary even if they do raise that amount, the league wouldn't be profitable for years if ever and overpaying fringe NBA talent is not going to be a viable business plan.

[Nate505]

Imagine this:

Team 1: Jokic and a team built around his strengths and weaknesses
Team 2: Wemby and a team built around his strengths and weaknesses
Team 3: Giannis and a team built around his strengths and weaknesses
Team 4: SGA and a team built around his strengths and weaknesses
Team 5: Luka and a team built around his strengths and weaknesses
Team 6: Tatum and a team built around his strengths and weaknesses


They all play against each other (15 games) in each of 8 locations around the world. That's 120 games.

Then a playoffs (20-30 games).



The best example is called the Indian Premier League, which was set up about 15 years ago for Cricket.. It's now at 5 times the original value.

NGL, if they pull it off I could see myself watching this over NBA.

I mean fair enough, if people want to see something like this, good for them.

I just don't see what's compelling about it outside of maybe a few games here and there the first time. What are the stakes they are playing for? The inaugural Carter Maverick Championship Trophy? Ok, great, fantastic, sounds exciting.

[WolfAddict]

I have addressed it previously. Those other leagues are minor leagues. This is a super league. This approach has never happened.

You say this like it actually means something...

I call my old fella "The Golden Mile", but a mile it aint

[playoffs]

Every summer, there are only a handful of needle-moving NBA free agents. The vast majority of NBA stars/superstars are under multi-year contracts that expire in different years. E.g., Luka is locked in until 2027. You can't just offer him a $250m contract in 2026 and lure him away from Dallas. You can wait and start your league in 2027, but are you expecting the best free agents of 2025 and 2026 to not sign multi-year deals, expecting that in 2027 you will give them that super-sized contract? And are you guaranteeing those contracts for multiple years?

This is simply a pipe dream that has zero chance of happening or working, for the above reason and many other reasons that others in this thread have already detailed. If it does somehow get up off the ground it will be seen as a joke and go bankrupt very quickly. It's basically a much-more-expensive Harlem Globetrotters project.