LeBron James’ meeting with Nikola Jokic’s agent could result in the three-time MVP leaving the NBA.
A picture of James and his business partner, Maverick Carter, meeting with Jokic’s agent went viral, amid speculation that James could be leaving the LA Lakers to sign with the Denver Nuggets. James is in the hunt for his fifth title, and pairing himself with the NBA’s best player is a sure way to do that.
However, the real reason for this meeting was recently revealed, and it could mean that Jokic is leaving the NBA.
LeBron James meets with Nikola Jokic’s agent about new basketball league
Front Office Sports reported that James, Carter and Jokic’s agent met to discuss a new touring basketball league. The Formula One-style league would include:
- 6 men’s and 6 women’s teams
- Touring format (LIV Golf/F1 style)
- Player equity model
- International investors involved
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James, has been considering retirement this offseason and is evidently exploring business opportunities beyond his Lakers life.
He has been interested in buying an NBA team after he retires. However, the Lakers were sold for $15.3 billion recently, and that seems a little out of James’ price range, even though LA are the NBA’s most successful franchise.
That would be an intriguing alternative for James and Carter, and Jokic’s agent would be key to that. Misko Raznatovic is one of the most significant players in European basketball and represents some of the biggest names in the EuroLeague.
Raznatovic’s connections could get the league off the ground before they attract bigger names, potentially including Jokic.
Nikola Jokic’s horse racing passion could mean he joins LeBron James’ basketball league, says Nick Wright
Jokic’s passions outside of the NBA are well known. After he won the NBA title for the Nuggets in 2023, he expressed his excitement to go home in the press conference afterwards. He wanted to go home to his horses.
He is invested in horse racing back in his home country of Serbia. Jokic recently went viral for being overcome with emotion when his horse won a race. It’s clearly one of his greatest passions, and something that could draw him away from the NBA, according to an analyst.
Nick Wright, who was ahead of the James story when he speculated about the new basketball league on his podcast, Whats Wright with Nick Wright, questioned whether it could draw Jokic away from the NBA.
He said, “If you work for your entire life for something and you get great at it, you obviously have a passion for it. But if you work your entire life for something and it’s the focus of your life, after 10-30 years of doing it, a new challenge can all of a sudden be more exciting.
“I do think that this is something, not new, but an exciting challenge and something he has not yet mastered…I’m not mocking Jokic at all, I think it’s really cool.
“But I do think when there’s something you really, really love that you can’t be a part of at all for the majority of a year, every year, because your job takes you halfway around the world, that certainly plays into the math of how long you plan to do that job.”
NBA basketball has always seemed like a day job to Jokic. He has said as much in the past. So more than any other NBA all-time great, he is likely to walk away. And the opportunity to play closer to home and spend more time with his passion could be enough to persuade him.