Ex-Warriors investor floats theory about NBA, international league competition amid Luka Doncic trade fallout

The dust continues to settle in the days following the shocking trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers formally welcomed the 25-year-old on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis and Max Christie continue to settle into their new surroundings with the Mavericks.

The Slovenian basketball superstar won his first scoring title last season, before leading the Mavs to the NBA Finals. Doncic is also a five-time All-NBA selection and a five-time All-Star.

Amid his reaction to the blockbuster deal, former Golden State Warriors minority owner and venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya provided some insight about his decision to sell his stake in the NBA franchise.

Palihapitiya revealed the decision partially revolved around his belief the league would soon be forced to contend with a serious competitor.

“I sold my ownership in the Warriors last year, in part, because I was pretty sure competition for the NBA was coming a la LIV Golf vs PGA,” Palihapitiya wrote in a reply on X, formerly known as Twitter, to a post from Texas-based attorney Adam Loewy. 

LUKA DONCIC DETAILS LAKERS TRADE ‘SHOCK’ AT INTRODUCTORY PRESS CONFERENCE

Loewy cited Chris Kratovil, another lawyer, who offered an analysis of the monumental trade involving Doncic. The lawyer theorized that the Mavs decision to move on from Doncic was part of a hypothetical strategy to maintain enough leverage to potentially move the franchise out of Texas if the state does not eventually legalize sports gambling.

Mark Cuban sold his controlling interest in the Mavericks in 2023 to the family of Miriam Adelson. The family owns a casino company. Cuban did remain on as a minority owner, but he is no longer involved in the day-to-day basketball operations.

Palihapitiya also suggested LeBron James should be the preferred choice, should the speculative competitor ever materialize. 

“The (speculated) antics below only reinforce the likelihood that a group of well heeled investors with $5-10B could quickly stand up a competitor to the NBA. After this trade, they may want to start with Luka and pay him his supermax and get LeBron by making him the commissioner.”

James’ trusted business partner, Maverick Carter, is pursuing $5 billion in capital from investors with the goal of launching a new basketball league outside of North America, Front Office Sports reported. James is not believed to have any involvement in the international basketball league effort.

After an influx of apparent phone calls, Palihapitiya made another post on X which outlined what an international basketball league that directly competes with the NBA could entail.

Donic reacted to the trade, saying he was initially in a state of disbelief. “You can imagine how surprised I was,” Doncic said on Tuesday. “I had to check if it was April 1. I didn’t really believe it.”

The superstar has begun to recover after his first two days in Los Angeles, and he’s growing increasingly excited about a new chapter with James and the Lakers.

“It was a big shock,” Doncic said. “(Dallas) was home, so it was really hard moments for me. … (But now) I get to play in the greatest club in the world, and I’m excited for this new journey.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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