A new international basketball league is being proposed by investors, which would provide players with equity.

• A group of investors seeking to establish a new international basketball league are being advised by Maverick Carter, LeBron James' business partner, according to sources.
• The league will feature both male and female teams and will be held in eight locations.
• An equity stake in the league will be given to players, according to sources.

According to sources, a group of influential investors are seeking to raise vast sums of money to establish a new global basketball league.

The new organization would offer players equity, those people said.

The league hopes to secure $5 billion in funding, making it a potential competitor to the NBA by offering lucrative contracts to players, as LIV Golf did with PGA Tour players.

The league's target players and start date are uncertain.

A group comprising of Jason Stein and Daniel Haimovic from SC Holdings, Geoff Prentice from Skype, and Grady Burnett, a former Facebook executive, is receiving advice from Maverick Carter, LeBron James' longtime friend and business partner.

James' representative stated that he is not involved in the effort and declined to comment on whether the Los Angeles Lakers star has been approached to participate.

The group is collaborating with UBS and Evercore to secure funding, which is predicted to originate from a combination of sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors, and affluent individuals, according to sources.

The league, comprising 12 teams - six men's and six women's teams - is expected to play games in eight cities worldwide, spending two weeks in each city, following a Formula 1-like model.

The people said that Singapore is one of the markets where games will take place, but it's unclear what the other seven markets will be.

Representatives for the NBA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

A source familiar said they were not aware of the league's plan before reports about it emerged Wednesday. Bloomberg first reported the news.

The NBA has intensified its global reach, featuring a league in Africa and hosting games in various countries such as China, UAE, Mexico City, and Paris. Additionally, the league had a record-breaking 125 international players in the 2024 season.