Poll: 86% Believe NBA Would Lose Stars to Saudi-Backed Professional Basketball League
Saudi Arabia is actively pursuing its plans to diversify its wealth portfolio, aiming to reduce its dependency on oil. The global sporting world has experienced the impact of Saudi Arabia's aggressive and disruptive investments, with the LIV Golf Tour being a prominent example that showcases the Kingdom's influence to sports fans in the United States and worldwide.
Recently, there have been reports of a soccer club owned by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund making a staggering offer to a world-renowned soccer player. The deal is estimated to be worth $1.1 Billion for a one-year contract, including an unprecedented $776 million player salary.
This eye-catching offer has sparked reactions from several NBA players, who took to social media with posts and memes, implying that they would leave the NBA immediately if presented with a similar salary opportunity!
In light of these developments, an independent sports outlet named DREAMERSPRO conducted a poll, asking respondents whether they believe NBA players would leave the league for a Saudi-backed basketball league offering such incredible contracts. Surprisingly, out of over 12,000 responses, an overwhelming 86% answered, "Hell Yes!"
Approximately six months ago, I conducted a thought exercise to determine the cost of establishing a professional basketball league that could compete with the NBA. At that time, my estimate amounted to a staggering $200 Billion. The initial $100 Billion would be allocated to fund player salaries for the first ten years, while the remaining $100 Billion would be invested in creating modern, state-of-the-art arenas, half the size of today's venues. These innovative arenas would provide an exceptional in-person experience, justifying the high ticket prices, while also offering an affordable, fully immersive VR/AR experience for viewers of the proposed league.
Furthermore, recent events, such as the Boston Celtics signing Jalyen Brown to a 5-year $304 million contract, have led some media experts to predict that the NBA economy will mirror trends in the United States economy. Consequently, teams are expected to consist of a few elite, highly-paid players, alongside numerous minimum contracts and few to no mid-tier contracts. Possibly creating a tier of elite basketball athletes open to a “new high paying venture.”
Globally, there are 2.3 billion basketball fans, with a significant majority residing outside the United States. Basketball ranks as the 3rd most popular sport worldwide. Thus, the pertinent question arises: Is the basketball world prepared for a global competitor to the NBA that could potentially attract top talent away from the established league?