Unrelated to the Nuggets and Lakers! Revealing the meeting between LeBron and Jokic's agent: discussing the establishment of an international league

On July 31, Beijing time, according to Front Office Sportsmultiple sources, LeBron met with his business partner Maverick Carter and Jokic's European agent last week on a mysterious boat in France to discuss matters related to the planned international basketball league led by Carter.

The photo posted by Jokic's European agent Misko Raznatovic on Instagram last weekend sparked speculation about whether the three were discussing LeBron joining the Nuggets or Jokic joining the Lakers.

Insiders have revealed that this matter is unrelated to the Nuggets or the Lakers.

European basketball news first reported that the league supported by Carter is a "possible reason" for this meeting. The caption of the post indicates that the photo was taken in Saint-Tropez, France, with the text stating, "Summer 2025 is an excellent time to formulate significant plans for the fall of 2026."

Bloomberg was the first to report on this upcoming league, stating in January that an investor group with Carter as an advisor is seeking to raise $5 billion. The league plans to adopt a tour format, featuring six men's teams and six women's teams competing in eight cities. Sports Illustrated reported at the time that Carter is the leader of this plan, and LeBron is not involved.

Raznatovic is a significant figure in European basketball. His agency in Belgrade, Serbia, collaborates with Jokic's American agency and represents numerous well-known European players, including Clippers center Ivica Zubac.

According to a report by the Financial Times in February, this emerging league has received funding support from investors including governments, SC Holdings, the Public Investment Fund of Riyadh, UBS Group, Skype founder Jeff Platt, and former Facebook executive Grady Burnett.

The Financial Times also reported that the league is expected to be a "full-time" event, unlike the emerging women's league Unrivaled, which allows players to participate in both the new league and the WNBA simultaneously. This means that NBA players will not be able to participate in both leagues at the same time.

Like Unrivaled, players are expected to gain equity in the league supported by Carter. Currently, NBA rules prohibit players from owning equity in teams, and Celtics star Jaylen Brown has expressed a desire to see this rule modified.

Carter's league has been likened to the LIV Golf League or Formula 1 racing, with teams competing in one city for a week or a weekend before moving to the next city.

The NBA itself is also considering establishing a new league in Europe. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated in March that the NBA is "ready to enter the next phase" and will collaborate with international basketball to explore the establishment of a new league in Europe. However, the NBA may set up teams in cities across Europe and the UK, which differs from Carter's league model.

According to reporter Stein, Silver and NBA Vice Chairman Mark Tatum met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Wednesday, seeking "potential stakeholders" for the new NBA European league. The NBA is taking action to explore the new league, including announcing that the Grizzlies and Magic will play two regular-season games in Europe in January 2026, one in Berlin and the other in London.

Paulius Motiejunas, CEO of the European Basketball League, does not support the NBA's establishment of a new league. In a Q&A session with The Athletic on Tuesday, he discussed a meeting earlier this year between the NBA and the European Basketball League, stating, "As we publicly expressed, we told them that we believe this new league would not help the market."

Currently, Raznatovic and Carter have not responded to requests for comment.