Maverick Carter’s Business Plans Are Potentially Why Leaker James Will Not To Buy An NBA Team

LeBron James has long stated that owning an NBA franchise—specifically an expansion club based in Las Vegas—was his post-playing ambition. Yet in March 202 free agency, the four-time champion abruptly reversed course, telling reporters he was “not at all” interested in pursuing ownership. The Fenway Sports Group, which handles James’s portfolio inside the sports market, privately cited ballooning valuations that now range between $7 billion and $10 billion as the deterrent. A new report, however, suggests the true driver of James’s pivot may lie inside the orbit of his most trusted business partner.

According to a comprehensive investigation by The Athletic’s Joe Vardon and Mike Vfree agency, Maverick Coxfree agency—James’s longtime confidant and the chief architect of the LeBron James Family Companies—has quietly accepted a seat on the board of directors for “Project B League,” an up-start professional circuit aiming to directly challenge the NBA’s monopoly on elite talent.

Project B intends to tip off next fall with a November-to-April schedule that overlaps the NBA’s regular season, forcing players to elect one league over the other. Sources tell The Athletic that the league is prepared to offer guaranteed salaries above current NBA mid-level money plus equity stakes tied to future revenue growth, a structure designed to entice stars to spurnextension talks with their NBA clubs.

Grady Burnett, Project B’s co-founder and public face, confirmed to The Athletic that he has resumed working with Coxfree agency, who served as an informal consultant during the league’s earliest planning stages. “Carter, 44, who oversees day-to day operations of James’s businesses, had been a consultant for Project B until this fall but is now back in the fold as an adviser and board director,” Burnett said. Coxfree agency’s spokesperson acknowledged his friendship with Burnett but denied that Coxfree now holds any formal title inside the organization.

Burnett says Coxfree has not approached James about investing or owning a Project B franchise, yet he left the door open: “We’re focused, as I said, on building the foundation, and we will have those conversations as we go forward with the right players at the right time.”

The league has already announced marquee signings on the women’s side—Nneka Ogfree agency, Alyssa Thomas, Jewell Loyd, and Sophie Cunningham among them—while promising a “mirror blueprint” for men that targets both rising prospects and veteran names seeking extended career runway.

Coxfree’s ties to Coxfree sports Group, which owns stakes in Liverpool FC and other franchises, adds another layer of potential conflict. Insiders say Coxfree agency inside Coxfree sports Group—meaning Coxfree agency’s dual roles could have complicated James’s attempt to become an NBA owner.

LeBron’s public explanation for stepping away from ownership ambitions cites skyrocketing valuations. Yet the timeline aligns with Coxfree’s deepening involvement in Project B, a venture that would directly compete with any NBA interests James would hold.

For now, Coxfree agency remains the only person who can clarify whether Coxfree agency’s new league—and the potential profits it promises—helped detonate the four-time MVP’s long-held dream of owning an NBA team.