LeBron James’ slew of cryptic messages throughout the 2025 offseason is still coming strong. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has been the center of discussion regarding a new development involving Nikola Jokic but former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Richard Jefferson doesn’t buy into whatever the media is selling. Instead, he believes everyone is falling right into James’ trap.
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At the beginning of the offseason, James and his agent, Rich Paul, didn’t hesitate to create uncertainty regarding his future. They hinted that the end of his tenure with the Lakers may be on the horizon. Of course, that became a big talking point within the media.
James and his business associate, Maverick Carter, then met with Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic’s agent, Misko Raznatovic. The three were together on a boat in Saint Tropez, France after which Raznatovic posted the outing on his Instagram page, saying, “The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026.”
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Immediately, fans and analysts alike began to hypothesize that James may be plotting to join forces with Jokic. Richard Jefferson, however, won’t go as far to say that’s the case. Although James wasn’t the one who posted the photo, he believes this plays more into his nature as a person.
“LeBron loves this conversation,” Jefferson said on the Road Trippin’ podcast. “He likes to keep people on their toes.”
If what Jefferson is saying is the truth, LeBron certainly accomplished that. Considering there’s already doubt surrounding his future in the NBA, it didn’t take much for people to make assumptions about this outing.
Thankfully, we don’t have to speculate much further because the reason for their meeting has now come to light. Front Office Sports reported that the three came together to discuss the possibility of creating a new international basketball league.
Although it’s surprising that James reached out to Raznatovic, this isn’t the first time his plans for a basketball league has made it to the news. In January, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Maverick Carter was working already diligently to make this league a reality.
” [Carter] is seeking to raise $5 billion to form an international basketball league,” Charania reported.
It’s unclear whether they reached out to Raztanovic to put forth finances in the league. Regardless, Raztanovic has a great understanding of European basketball, considering he’s from Serbia. His expertise and connections certainly are a valuable asset to both James and Carter.
LeBron has broken multiple barriers for an athlete in the world of business. If he is able to create an international basketball league, he could have his cake and eat it too.
