San Francisco 49ers legend Steve Young has joined an investment group that aims to create an international rival to the NBA. Among the backers alongside the Hall of Famer are tennis star Novak Djokovic, former WNBA star Candace Parker, Skype founder Geoffrey Prentice and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Front Office Sports reported Tuesday that Young was one of the investors for “Project B,” an officially unnamed $5 billion international basketball league with men’s and women’s teams that promises league equity for players and could even swipe talent from the NBA. The story’s main news was that Maverick Carter, LeBron James’ longtime business partner, was no longer involved with the league.
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The Financial Times reported in February that the league secured a partnership with Sela, which Premier League fans will know as the central jersey sponsor for Newcastle United. It should come as no surprise then that Sela’s owner is the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the majority owner of the British soccer club. Saudi Arabia is not the only government involved in this league, as the Financial Times also reported that Singapore would be an investor.
The way this league is supposed to play out, according to reports, is similar to how Formula 1 or LIV golf operates. The teams will travel internationally for two-week-long tournaments in multiple host cities throughout Asia, Europe and Latin America. The league’s schedule is expected to conflict with the NBA season.
Financial backing from the Public Investment Fund brings criticism of sportswashing, the act of scrubbing away a history of human rights abuses through prominent involvement in sports that distracts the public from those concerns. The most notable example for some time was the Newcastle takeover in 2021, bringing many of the human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia to the forefront. Just like with the discussion around the recent Riyadh Comedy Festival, the concern is that the funding is directly from the government.
Saudi Arabia’s involvement in sports has become more American as of late. Next year, Riyadh is set to host a flag football tournament featuring names like former quarterback Tom Brady; 49ers stars Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Fred Warner; and Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan. “Project B” is also slated to begin next fall.
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But the sportswashing accusations don’t mean anything to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“If sports washing going to increase my GDP by way of one percent, then I will continue doing sport washing,” he told Fox News in 2023. “I don’t care. One percent growth of GDP from sport and I’m aiming for another one-and-a-half percent — call it whatever you want, we’re going to get that one-and-a-half percent.”