{"id":2124603,"date":"2026-09-02T14:43:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T11:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2124603"},"modified":"2026-09-02T14:43:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T11:43:32","slug":"russell-westbrook-joining-upstart-basketball-league-project-b-as-co-founder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2124603","title":{"rendered":"Russell Westbrook joining upstart basketball league Project B as co-founder"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Russell Westbook, the recently retired NBA star, has joined Project B as a co-founder and its new chief strategy officer.<\/p>\n

The nine-time NBA All-Star and 2016-17 MVP retired this summer<\/a> after an 18-year career. He is now joining an upstart basketball league at the executive level, giving Project B its highest-profile addition yet. He will take an equity stake in the new league and serve on its board of directors. There is no indication yet that he will play in the league, which is set to launch in early 2027.<\/p>\n

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Westbrook is the splashiest name to join the league in any capacity. Project B has been working with Maverick Carter, the longtime friend and business associate of LeBron James, and has added several high-profile players for its women\u2019s division. Former WNBA champion and All-Star Alana Beard is its chief basketball officer, and former NBA player and executive Landry Fields joined this summer to run the men\u2019s division.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt every step of my career, what was most valuable to me was making sure everyone had a seat at the table,\u201d Westbrook said in a statement. \u201cWith Project B, we\u2019re challenging the norm and bringing a new vision to the intersection of premium sport, culture, and entertainment. We\u2019re reimagining the experience with players not only as key value drivers, but also as shareholders and decision makers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Project B has invited intrigue with its build-up. The league was founded by two tech executives and has reportedly raised $5 billion. It intends to barnstorm across Asia, Europe and South America and broadcast games on YouTube.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSport has become this massive global asset class,\u201d co-founder Grady Burnett told The Athletic<\/em> last fall. \u201cFor the vast majority, the players have not participated in the economics of that, and they\u2019ve sat on the outside of it. That is something that is frustrating to athletes, and is \u2014 as sort of the central resources, central IP within that business \u2014 the driver of it. We think it\u2019s really important to start with equity.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n
\n \"Russell<\/p>\n
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\n Russell Westbrook leaves NBA letting his significant actions do talking\n <\/div>\n
\n It is hard to imagine Westbrook ever saying, as a matter of record, “I can’t play in the NBA any more.” His actions and resume say plenty.\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The league has gained attention for its large salaries for players on the women\u2019s side and is building out its men\u2019s roster. It has signed Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas and Sophie Cunningham, as well as others.<\/p>\n

Westbrook, 37, retired as the NBA\u2019s all-time leader in triple-doubles with 209. He led the league in scoring twice and in assists three times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Russell Westbook, the recently retired NBA star, has joined Project B as a co-founder and its new chief strategy officer. The nine-time NBA All-Star and 2016-17 MVP retired this summer after an 18-year career. He is now joining an upstart basketball league at the executive level, giving Project B its highest-profile addition yet. He will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-2124603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2124603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2124603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2124603\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2124603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2124603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2124603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}