Carmelo Anthony can add team owner to his decorated basketball resume.
Anthony announced a partnership with Australia’s National Basketball League that includes joining the ownership group of a future expansion team. The 10-time NBA All-Star will also serve as a global ambassador for the NBL’s Next Stars program.
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Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. It is unclear which expansion team it will own, but the NBL has considered adding a franchise in Southeast Asia, as well as growing domestically in the Gold Coast or Sydney, where a franchise would compete with the Kings of Sydney.
Anthony, who turned 40 last week, has been busy lately as the former NBA star has transformed into a entrepreneur. The former NBA scoring champion teamed up with Isos7 last year to launch a private equity venture company (Isos7 Growth Equity) and recently launched a cannabis-focused agency (Grand National), among other business ventures.
Anthony’s schedule has gotten busier as he will now promote Australia’s top men’s basketball league, which has become a non-traditional route for top prospects looking to make it to the NBA. Anthony, who retired after 19 seasons last year, joins other former and current NBA players who have invested in NBL teams. The long list includes Khris Middleton, John Wall, Kevin Martin, Shawn Marion, Andrew Bogut, Al Harrington and Zach Randolph.
The news comes two months after two-time NBA champion Kenny Smith was named head of Next Stars Players Initiatives in North America. The Next Stars program has distinguished itself as the ideal platform for the league’s most sought-after and draft-eligible talent. The year-long player development initiative, one of the international pathways to the NBA, has produced stars such as Charlotte Hornets guard and 2021 Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball.
Oklahoma City point guard Josh Giddey, a Melbourne native, and OKC forward Ousmane Dieng are among eight Next Star players who have been drafted in the first round since 2018.
The Next Stars program will be represented again this month, with French star Alex Sarr projected to go No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft. The former Perth Wildcats big man headlines the 2024 Next Stars class, the largest in league history. The NBL is owned by President Larry Kestelman.
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