October 31 remains the key date for the WNBA as the WNBPA is ready with its lockout pressure if the CBA deal negotiations don’t reach a conclusion by the end of the 2025 season. While NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is confident in resolving the WNBA labor dispute before the deadline, there is a lot of work remaining.
On the other hand, there are possibilities of a rival league as LeBron James’ long-term business partner, Maverick Carter, plans investment through Saudi Arabia and Singapore’s sovereign wealth funds.
LeBron James’ Business Partner Ready With Plan To Rival WNBA
WNBA’s growth is not only tempting cities to be part of it, but also many businesses are ready with plans to take top names and form a new league. As per ESPN’s report, LeBron James’ business partner, Maverick Carter, was actively involved in the formation of a new “global circuit” men’s basketball league.
While the financing was via Singapore and Saudi Arabia, the focus is now on the Women’s basketball, considering the current instability in the WNBA following the CBA’s failure. This is ‘Project B’ for Carter.
WNBA analyst even warned the league against a potential Caitlin Clark threat from Saudi Arabia’s Project B. “There’s no way they don’t try to build a league around Caitlin, and they have the dollars to 100% make it happen,” Swift wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They are so rich, profit means nothing. 50 mill for Caitlin, and she’s in for sure.”
There’s no way they don’t try to build a league around Caitlin and they have the dollars to 100% make it happen. They are so rich, profit means nothing. 50 mill for Caitlin and she’s in for sure. https://t.co/LXMfxM7Pih
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) October 13, 2025
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While the 3-on-3 league is already gaining popularity, additional rivals would not only put the brakes on the league’s growth, but fans might also lose their trust in the league.
WNBA Needs To Resolve Issues Around CBA
With five new franchises already waiting in line for the upcoming seasons, having to deal with the negotiation issues is not the picture any league would want. Kelsey Plum shared an alarming update on WNBA CBA negotiations as the deadline nears. Profit sharing and salary increments were key issues earlier in the CBA deal, but now Cathy Engelbert’s rocky relationships with players have made the situation even worse.
Many believe that Cathy Engelbert will be out as the WNBA owners turn on her amid explosive CBA and officiating chaos. But it does not resolve the CBA issue completely, and the league might need to work on the solutions quickly before a new rival takes advantage of the conditions.