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Dru: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s mother posted a photo of Giannis at the Miami Heat arena on Facebook today
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s mother posted a photo of Giannis at the Miami Heat arena on Facebook todayhttps://t.co/5LOFrTBazU pic.twitter.com/PUoZ9CKd0e
— Dru (@dru_star) January 28, 2026
Project B—a new global basketball league—officially announced its plans in October to host tournaments across Asia, Europe, and Latin America beginning in November 2026 and running through April 2027. On Friday the league, founded by former Facebook executive Grady Burnett and Skype cofounder Geoff Prentice, announced that it had signed Seattle Storm star—and WNBPA president—Nneka Ogwumike as its first player. Other WNBA players have already signed deals to play in Project B, multiple sources told Front Office Sports. Those same sources said multiple stars are being offered seven-figure salaries starting at $2 million annually, with their earnings for multiyear deals reaching eight figures. In addition, players will receive equity in the league, similar to Unrivaled.
The talks surrounding the NBA's potential expansion into Europe have now reached the highest political circles. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has entered the discussion and called for NBA and EuroLeague unity in his latest Facebook post.
Maverick Carter is no longer involved with the planned international basketball league that aims to disrupt the sport, multiple sources told Front Office Sports. “Project B,” as it has been called behind the scenes for nearly two years, still plans to launch next fall with 5-on-5 men’s and women’s basketball leagues. Led by Skype cofounder Geoff Prentice and former Facebook executive Grady Burnett, the investor group also includes tennis stars Novak Djokovic and Sloane Stephens; former WNBA stars Candace Parker, Alana Beard, and Lauren Jackson; and ex-NFL quarterback Steve Young. The group would not yet disclose the official name for the planned league.
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So what's the league about? Early discussions are of a touring model with six men’s and six women’s teams playing in eight cities, none of which is likely to be in the United States. Investors include the Singapore government, SC Holdings, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, a Macau casino operator, UBS, Skype founder Geoff Prentice and former Facebook executive Grady Burnett, according to the Financial Times. Reports have linked VC firm Quiet Capital, tech investor Byron Deeter and Hong Kong-based Galaxy Entertainment to the effort.
As millions across the country hit the internet to snag good holiday deals on Friday, Kawhi Leonard is hoping to direct shoppers to Black-owned businesses. The 29-year-old NBA player will host a live segment for Facebook's weekly #BuyBlack Friday show this week. #BuyBlack Friday — a holiday initiative spearheaded by two Facebook employees — is "focused on harnessing the energy of the year’s biggest retail day to celebrate and support Black-owned businesses hardest hit by Covid through the entire holiday season," according to a press release.
Ramona Shelburne: "Ball in the Family" will minimize Alan Foster's role in previously shot footage after Lonzo Ball cut ties with the former BBB co-founder last week. A Facebook spokesman tells ESPN, "We support the family. Alan Foster will not be a member of the cast moving forward.”
Rachel Nichols: Ray Allen's publicist now tells me Ray's verified Facebook page was hacked, that he didn't post Celtics-clapback pic. FB unverified the page
Peter Kafka: Player's Tribune raises $40mm; investors include IVP, Google Ventures. This is the company that's supposed to be a media platform controlled by athletes, so they can cut out ESPN, SI, etc. Which is an interesting idea. But: Big platforms still have value to jocks - see @KingJames + SI. Or go direct via Twitter, FB, etc.
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Facebook “likes” are an imperfect measure. In the Los Angeles area, the Lakers have about eight times as many “likes” as the Clippers. But Facebook’s ad data, which combines “likes” with users’ “interests and activities,” suggests the Lakers have only about three times as many users interested in them as the Clippers do. But as we've noted before, Facebook likes show broadly similar patterns as polls do.
The increased bid was made public late Friday, just hours after a source close to the situation told The Sacramento Bee that the Sacramento contingent had notified the NBA it planned to match the original Seattle offer. Earlier Friday, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson announced that former Facebook executive Chris Kelly had joined the group, which also includes Silicon Valley software tycoon and Golden State Warriors minority owner Vivek Ranadive; 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov; members of San Diego's Jacobs family, founders of telecommunications giant Qualcomm; and Sacramento developer Mark Friedman. A source said the group had begun turning away wealthy investors seeking to join the bid.
The group of ultra-wealthy investors seeking to buy the Sacramento Kings and keep the team here has notified the NBA that they will match the offer for the franchise made by rival investors from Seattle, a source close to the deal told The Bee. Earlier today, the proposed Sacramento ownership group grew by one when Chris Kelly, a former Facebook executive who ran for state attorney general in 2010, was unveiled as a new partner. A source said the group has been approached by multiple interested investors and is now turning them away.
Emiliano Carchia: Noel Biderman answered back to Church and Opus Dei who criticized the AshleyMadison operation: 'Sport has ties with entertainment more than family. What should we say about alchool and gambling? Companies who sponsor very often now sports team? This is what really threaten the family values, not AshleyMadison. Cheating exists since centuries. We didn't invent anything new. We are just offering a platform where people can meet outside their work. On Facebook people cheat everyday but anybody blames FB for being a site who incites infidelity"
