NBA: Minor League

[SNPA]

These guys are putting together 5 billion. To start six teams.

If you think players and *agents/agencies* won’t be interested in contracts well over 100m ok. I disagree. All they have to do is poach a few top players in the first couple seasons and this league takes off. James and thus Kutch is already involved.

Wemby can play for the Spurs for 50m or this league for 200m. It’s a real threat.

James is on the cusp of retirement. They're not getting Wembayama. This league isn't likely to be the threat you're making it out to be. A similar comparison would be what someone else mentioned: PGA vs LIV.

PGA/LIV was a more serious threat; there are no "teams" in Golf. You just need to poach individual golfers into your tour and host tournaments and voila. Basketball is a team sport - you need to assemble actual teams to play, and that takes at least a dozen players per team; you need to build brand and marketing for each team; you need to create contracts with each player, not just tournament prizes and individual "join this whole league" deals like in golf.

I don’t know golf. I know basketball and I know how agents think. Again, James via Carter is already involved.

Five billion is plenty. They could start with payrolls around 500m and still have a couple billion to stand up the league.

Every year stars and superstars are available. All they have to do is time it right to poach 3-4 top guys over a two year window and that league takes off.

As for the Curry and scrubs comments…role players can make double too. You don’t think Monk would bolt for 40m?

Imagine cities competing like the Olympics to host the tour each year.

[Ruma85]

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/278794/Maverick-Carter-Advising-Investment-Group-Forming-Basketball-League-To-Rival-NBA


Get ready. Those guys can get the money to do this.

This is the biggest threat to the NBA.

It's hard take your post seriously other than trolling, If you're so EXCITED about this, that's fantastic, though give it at least little time if/when this takes off, so we can see if it becomes a success before claiming this will be a great threat to the NBA.

[Ruma85]

James is on the cusp of retirement. They're not getting Wembayama. This league isn't likely to be the threat you're making it out to be. A similar comparison would be what someone else mentioned: PGA vs LIV.

PGA/LIV was a more serious threat; there are no "teams" in Golf. You just need to poach individual golfers into your tour and host tournaments and voila. Basketball is a team sport - you need to assemble actual teams to play, and that takes at least a dozen players per team; you need to build brand and marketing for each team; you need to create contracts with each player, not just tournament prizes and individual "join this whole league" deals like in golf.

I don’t know golf. I know basketball and I know how agents think. Again, James via Carter is already involved.

Five billion is plenty. They could start with payrolls around 500m and still have a couple billion to stand up the league.

Every year stars and superstars are available. All they have to do is time it right to poach 3-4 top guys over a two year window and that league takes off.

As for the Curry and scrubs comments…role players can make double too. You don’t think Monk would bolt for 40m?

Imagine cities competing like the Olympics to host the tour each year.

It's a great idea, in theory but not every single player is chasing money first..

[HomoSapien]

It's hard for me to imagine this being a legitimate threat to the NBA, but at the same time the NBA is in a vulnerable position with so many people feeling put-off by the product. If a better alternative is available, then anything is possible.

[SNPA]

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/278794/Maverick-Carter-Advising-Investment-Group-Forming-Basketball-League-To-Rival-NBA


Get ready. Those guys can get the money to do this.

This is the biggest threat to the NBA.

It's hard take your post seriously other than trolling, If you're so EXCITED about this, that's fantastic, though give it at least little time if/when this takes off, so we can see if it becomes a success before claiming this will be a great threat to the NBA.

lol. Someone didn’t read the link. Look at the initial investors. Then come back and claim it’s trolling.

[jokeboy86]

For those unable to click links…

6 men’s / 6 women’s.

8 cities around the global. Two week intervals.

The list of investors is legit. These guys can do this if they really want. LeBron seems already in via Maverick Carter.

I’ll ask again, why would a superstar play in a salary capped league when there is a chance to play for multiples the money, in fewer games and with more global fame? I’ll await an answer.

Because getting people to watch or care about other leagues has generally been a slow process, and that's the only way for the salaries to get higher than the NBA and stay that way.

Of all the sports I've always thought basketball was always situated to be able to do this though and thats because of how much the casual fan watches basketball for the "stars" or names more than the teams or the sport itself. I look at the very brief success of the And1 tour or even the fact that the BIG 3 league still exists shows there is a market for fans who literally just want to see the top stars or players and nothing else. Not to mention in this era of social media where its become pretty easy to create stars.

Wouldn't surprise me if this league is going to try and recruit the absolute top rated high school phenoms first to get them to bite by offering a salary that eclipses the top NIL money.

On a side note though if Lebron really pushes forward and goes ahead with this he can kiss the chance of ever being a majority owner of a NBA team goodbye. The league does not take kindly to anything that can be deemed competition and they will hold it against him.

[Chuck Everett]

Maverick Carter is a horrible businessman. Just because he's tethered to LBJ covers up his follies. He's run SpringHill Entertainment into the ground.

[Black Jack]

Tournaments with all teams in a city for a limited time will happen.

Hope to see this leage gove the NBa some real competition.

[azcatz11]

If we are going as LIV as an example - LIV is an awful product which no one watches. They couldn't secure TV deals. Why would they think this will go any different?

I do see the investors and none of them have the deep pockets as the PIF. So I'm skeptical this will happen...

[Ruma85]

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/278794/Maverick-Carter-Advising-Investment-Group-Forming-Basketball-League-To-Rival-NBA


Get ready. Those guys can get the money to do this.

This is the biggest threat to the NBA.

It's hard take your post seriously other than trolling, If you're so EXCITED about this, that's fantastic, though give it at least little time if/when this takes off, so we can see if it becomes a success before claiming this will be a great threat to the NBA.

lol. Someone didn’t read the link. Look at the initial investors. Then come back and claim it’s trolling.

I more than read that hours ago, I'm just being honest that, it's hard to take this seriously as we don't even know this will happen or if this is even I threat to the best league in the world.

[cgf]

Nah, too much inertia to overcome.

How’s that high-paying Saudi league doing in football?

And it's been a very successful way for financially irresponsible european clubs to get out of their mistakes...

[BasketballAnon]

It won't work.

US sports fans won't accept minor leagues unless it's school sports. I don't know why.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

For those unable to click links…

6 men’s / 6 women’s.

8 cities around the global. Two week intervals.

The list of investors is legit. These guys can do this if they really want. LeBron seems already in via Maverick Carter.

I’ll ask again, why would a superstar play in a salary capped league when there is a chance to play for multiples the money, in fewer games and with more global fame? I’ll await an answer.

Because the entire concept of the league is flawed. I can break down each one in more detail, but honestly, I don’t care enough to change your mind - so I’ll just give a few of the more obviously reasons as to why it won’t work.

Investors will only invest in things that make sense. You can have talks with investors, and saying things like “will rival the NBA” is the exact thing you’d want to say in a pitch, but ask “how?” and the entire argument would fall apart and the investors will back out. If you only have 6 teams, you’re not going to be playing a ton of games. If you’re not playing a ton of games, you’re not bringing in a ton of cash. If you’re not bringing in a ton of cash, you’re not going to be able to pay athletes more than their NBA contracts are worth, unless you find a billionaire who just actively wants to set money on fire for no reason. Even if you find that guy, you have to he’d be willing to do it with all the stars of the NBA, because if you only get one or two - no one is going to care. You have to pull the majority of the stars away from the NBA in a very short amount of time(because the league will be hemorrhaging money) or else the whole thing flops.

I get it. The NBA sucks and we all want better, but this entire concept is laughable.

If they want to start a basketball league, maybe they can get something to work. Trying to brand it as something that will rival the NBA is a joke though and any reasonably intelligent investor would back out the second they see how ridiculous the premise is.

[SNPA]

For those unable to click links…

6 men’s / 6 women’s.

8 cities around the global. Two week intervals.

The list of investors is legit. These guys can do this if they really want. LeBron seems already in via Maverick Carter.

I’ll ask again, why would a superstar play in a salary capped league when there is a chance to play for multiples the money, in fewer games and with more global fame? I’ll await an answer.

Because the entire concept of the league is flawed. I can break down each one in more detail, but honestly, I don’t care enough to change your mind - so I’ll just give a few of the more obviously reasons as to why it won’t work.

Investors will only invest in things that make sense. You can have talks with investors, and saying things like “will rival the NBA” is the exact thing you’d want to say in a pitch, but ask “how?” and the entire argument would fall apart and the investors will back out. If you only have 6 teams, you’re not going to be playing a ton of games. If you’re not playing a ton of games, you’re not bringing in a ton of cash. If you’re not bringing in a ton of cash, you’re not going to be able to pay athletes more than their NBA contracts are worth, unless you find a billionaire who just actively wants to set money on fire for no reason. Even if you find that guy, you have to he’d be willing to do it with all the stars of the NBA, because if you only get one or two - no one is going to care. You have to pull the majority of the stars away from the NBA in a very short amount of time(because the league will be hemorrhaging money) or else the whole thing flops.

I get it. The NBA sucks and we all want better, but this entire concept is laughable.

If they want to start a basketball league, maybe they can get something to work. Trying to brand it as something that will rival the NBA is a joke though and any reasonably intelligent investor would back out the second they see how ridiculous the premise is.

Disagree.

American football doesn’t play many games, they seem to make plenty of money. Scarcity can drive up prices.

You also ignore the hook (the how), no salary cap or a cap way higher than the NBA. The pitch to investors is agents and players will go for the money. That’s a solid concept.

Say you’re Wemby and you aren’t even sure the league will make a second season…but they are offing you 250m for this season. The Spurs are offering 50m and will take you back in a second if you ever want to return.

[bkkrh]

These guys are putting together 5 billion. To start six teams.

If you think players and *agents/agencies* won’t be interested in contracts well over 100m ok. I disagree. All they have to do is poach a few top players in the first couple seasons and this league takes off. James and thus Kutch is already involved.

Wemby can play for the Spurs for 50m or this league for 200m. It’s a real threat.

Read the article again. They are TRYING to raise 5 Billion for the League. This doesn't mean players will get paid that as a salary. That will include adds, rent of stadiums and offices, logistics, all personal and so on. I also highly doubt that they plan to spend all 5 Billion the first season and then raise another 5 Billion. The NBA created 11.34 Billion in revenue last season. So they are trying to gather less than half what the NBA has as income in one season to start a new league from zero.

[bkkrh]

The way it's described it already sounds like a failure. So these teams would basically have no association to any city/region. You already can tell that their priority is not actual Basketball related, by naming Singapore, where Basketball is absolutely irrelevant, but is a booming country related to crypto and tech. So this will be mostly used as an event for rich people to connect, kind of similar to events like Karate Combat.

They use a setup that works well in non-team sports, since there is a bigger focus on player nationality. If anything this will be more a rival towards the Big 3 than the NBA.

[RRyder823]

These guys are putting together 5 billion. To start six teams.

If you think players and *agents/agencies* won’t be interested in contracts well over 100m ok. I disagree. All they have to do is poach a few top players in the first couple seasons and this league takes off. James and thus Kutch is already involved.

Wemby can play for the Spurs for 50m or this league for 200m. It’s a real threat.

So the evaluation of a single NBA AND all 6 teams along with the league are startups.......... There's not going to be nearly the money available for payroll that you think



Sent from my SM-S918U using RealGM mobile app

[SNPA]

These guys are putting together 5 billion. To start six teams.

If you think players and *agents/agencies* won’t be interested in contracts well over 100m ok. I disagree. All they have to do is poach a few top players in the first couple seasons and this league takes off. James and thus Kutch is already involved.

Wemby can play for the Spurs for 50m or this league for 200m. It’s a real threat.

So the evaluation of a single NBA AND all 6 teams along with the league are startups.......... There's not going to be nearly the money available for payroll that you think



Sent from my SM-S918U using RealGM mobile app

Why?

Marketing. And then what?

Rent facilities. Easy.

Where’s the other huge costs? Insurance..and? It’s guys in uniforms playing basketball. High schools can do it.

[Doctor MJ]

Why would superstars play under a salary cap when there is a global league with no cap? Less games, more money and global fame.

So when you talk about "global fame", you're pre-supposing the success of the not-yet-in-existence league, and that success is to me the key concern.

Not saying success is impossible, but the only way to sustain big salaries is with big revenue, and this is not a given.

One thing I think should be talked about with regard to this is the upcoming Unrivaled league for women's players. There you have a scheme where they are getting the best women players in the world and paying them more than the WNBA. If the ratings that come are way higher than the WNBA, then that will cause something of a crisis in the WNBA which forces WNBA teams to pay their players more money.

Of course for Unrivaled, they're purposefully playing in the W's off-season so it isn't necessarily a direct threat. This new men's league may do the same thing, but if they don't, then it will be a more direct conflict.

[mastermixer]

For those unable to click links…

6 men’s / 6 women’s.

8 cities around the global. Two week intervals.

The list of investors is legit. These guys can do this if they really want. LeBron seems already in via Maverick Carter.

I’ll ask again, why would a superstar play in a salary capped league when there is a chance to play for multiples the money, in fewer games and with more global fame? I’ll await an answer.

Because getting people to watch or care about other leagues has generally been a slow process, and that's the only way for the salaries to get higher than the NBA and stay that way.

Depends if you follow the Tech model where you are willing to dump a TON of money at a loss to gain market share very quickly then make money later.