A viral photo showing LeBron James with Nikola Jokic’s agent, Misko Raznatovic, sparked wild speculation—but the truth behind the meeting has now been revealed.
According to Front Office Sports, the discussion had nothing to do with James joining the Nuggets or Jokic landing in Los Angeles.
Sources confirmed the real focus was a proposed $5 billion international basketball league spearheaded by James’ business partner, Maverick Carter.
The meeting, which took place aboard a yacht in St. Tropez, included James, Carter, and Raznatovic, who posted the image with a cryptic caption referencing “big plans for the fall of 2026.”
Carter is currently leading efforts to establish the International Basketball League, a global competition featuring six men’s and six women’s teams, with games played in eight cities across the world.
The project, which aims to create a basketball version of Formula 1, has attracted high-powered investors including Skype co-founder Geoff Prentice and former Facebook executive Grady Burnett.
Investment firm SC Holdings’ Jason Stein and Daniel Haimovic are also involved, with the group seeking to raise $5 billion through sovereign wealth funds, private equity, and individual backers.
James, who opted into his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers for the 2025–26 season, was in France as part of broader offseason business dealings.
Though the timing of the photo fueled rumors of a potential superteam with Jokic, sources told FOS that the conversation was strictly about the new league’s future and global positioning.
Raznatovic, one of the most influential agents in European basketball, represents Jokic in international matters and has strong ties to key overseas markets.
James’ involvement lends legitimacy to the new league, which would operate independently of the NBA and FIBA, staging games in two-week intervals across global cities.
