Today, according to an exclusive report by sports business media FOS, multiple sources revealed that Maverick Carter, the business partner of Lakers forward James, has no longer participated in the global basketball league "Project B" originally planned to launch in the fall of 2026.
Nonetheless, the alliance is still in the works, with the likes of Candace Parker, Steve Young and Novak Djokovic still involved.
According to multiple sources, Maverick Carter is no longer involved in an International Basketball League project aimed at changing the sport of basketball. The project, internally codenamed "Project B", has been in preparation for nearly two years and is expected to launch a men's and women's five-a-side basketball league next fall. The investor group is led by Skype co-founder Jeff Prentiss and former Facebook executive Grady Burnett, and also includes tennis stars Novak Djokovic and Sloan Stephens, former WNBA stars Candace Parker, Alanna Beard and Laurent Jackson, and former NFL quarterback Steve Young.
The team has not announced the official name of the planned alliance.
As LeBron James' long-term business partner, Carter has been providing consulting to the team. This summer, Carter was spotted on a boat in France meeting with James and Nikola Jokic's European agent Mysko Raznatovic; multiple sources told FOS that the meeting was related to the project. Raznatovich declined to comment Tuesday on whether he was involved. When asked about Raznatovic, Burnett said: "Misko is a good friend of ours. I just came back from Serbia."
Carter's spokesman confirmed that he no longer plays any formal or informal role in the organization.
"The team came to Maverick for consultation, he provided advice, and then he quit a few months ago," a spokesperson said in an interview with FOS. "He is no longer involved with them or any other basketball league in Europe." Although James was not involved when Carter advised the investment team, he has long been associated with potential NBA expansion plans to Las Vegas or elsewhere. Under NBA rules, team owners are prohibited from holding any shares in other men's professional basketball leagues or teams.
According to people still involved in the project, despite Carter's withdrawal, "Project B" is still proceeding as planned.
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