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Harris Stavrou: Qatar found their naturalized player ahead of the 2027 Basketball World Cup. According to SPORT24 sources, Kendrick Nunn will sign a 5-year deal to become Qatar's main guy going forward.
SDNA reports that a 10 million offer has been made, but according to their report, Nunn has not yet accepted the proposal. Nunn has been one of the most recognizable players in the EuroLeague over the last two seasons and would instantly become the biggest name on the Qatari roster.
Despite the ongoing war in Iran, organizers of next year’s FIBA World Cup are not changing plans to hold the top global men’s basketball competition in Qatar in August of 2027. Andreas Zagklis, secretary general for FIBA, said Friday that Qatari officials have made clear the World Cup “is a project of national importance,” and preparations to hold the 32-team championship, with dozens of NBA stars expected to participate, are “going according to schedule.”
“Unfortunately, we know how to deal with these situations,” said Zagklis, referring to war outbreaks in Ukraine and the Middle East that coincided with FIBA World Cup qualifying tournaments. “And also, unfortunately, the federations in the area are resilient and are ready to respond in the best possible way,” Zagklis continued. “We have excellent partners in Qatar. If things arrive at that spot, I’m sure we will have very good and direct conversations, and we’ll find the best possible solution for the players and the fans.”
Investment firm Qatar Sports Investments, which owns soccer giant Paris St. Germain, has been linked to Silver’s venture for Paris and is just one of the groups interested in either partnering with existing basketball clubs or starting new teams in targeted cities. According to league sources, investment groups with ownership of five percent or less of an NBA team will be permitted to own an NBA Europe team.
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While in Paris last month for both Spurs-Pacers tilts, Silver attended soccer giant Paris-Saint Germain’s Champions League match against Manchester City and met with PSG’s top officials about potentially being involved in the new basketball league. One top European basketball source said PSG is interested. The city’s soccer conglomerate is owned by Qatari government-backed Qatar Sports Investments, is worth $4.2 billion and has unmatched brand recognition in France. By comparison, Paris Basketball’s budget for the 2024-25 season is $20 million, according to publicly available data.
Mike Vorkunov: Sale of a minority stake in Monumental Sports — owners of the Wizards, Mystics, and Capitals — to Qatari Investment Authority, a Qatari sovereign wealth fund, officially went thru Monday. First of its kind. QIA also owns real estate in DC near their arena.
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Jeff Zillgitt: NBA on Qatari Investment Authority potentially buying small percent of Monumental Sports/Wizards:
NBA on Qatari Investment Authority potentially buying small percent of Monumental Sports/Wizards: pic.twitter.com/PJl3MBVDcN
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) June 22, 2023
The Qatar Investment Authority is buying a passive minority stake in Washington Wizards and Capitals parent Monumental Sports & Entertainment, according to multiple people familiar with the details. It marks the first time a sovereign fund has invested in major U.S. team sports.
QIA, as the Qatari state fund is known, is buying about 5% of Monumental, which includes the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, Capital One Arena and NBC Sports Washington, according to one of the people, who was granted anonymity because the details are private. The deal values the group at $4.05 billion, the source said. It’s a landmark deal for U.S. sports, which has gradually opened its ranks to investment from institutional money such as private equity, family offices and sovereign wealth.