• Loading stock data...
Friday, August 1, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

Former NBA Stars Back $100M East Asia Super League

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

Asia League Holdings announced a $13 million funding round from a group of investors including Baron Davis, Metta Sandiford-Artest, Shane Battier, and investment firm Raine Group to launch the East Asia Super League.

The basketball league will consist of eight teams from China, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. Top teams from the China Basketball Association, an organization chaired by former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming, are expected to join.

The funding puts Asia League at a $100 million valuation. It’s looking to raise an additional $30 million to $50 million.

East Asia Super League signed a 10-year deal with FIBA last year for an annual cross-region league similar to soccer’s UEFA Champions League.

  • With broadcasting deals from Tencent Holdings and Naver Corp., the company has previously held invitational tournaments in Macau.
  • It put on four invitational tournaments from 2017-2019 — its last one brought in 117 million viewers over six days.

The league is slated to begin in October 2022 and will run for five months. The Final Four weekend will include a music festival, and the league champion will receive $1 million in prize money.

The EASL aims to be among the top three basketball leagues by 2025 in terms of fan base and revenue. CEO Matt Beyer expects 230 million viewers during its first season.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Mikal Bridges Takes $6M Discount to Help Knicks Avoid Second Apron

Bridges agreed to a four-year, $150 million extension Thursday.
Apr 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half during game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.

Luka Dončić Eligible to Sign $229M Extension Saturday

Dončić can sign a four-year, $229 million extension on Aug. 2.

Comcast Bets Big on Sports, but NBA Price Tag Looms Large

The NBC Sports parent company is absorbing the impacts of adding the NBA.

Featured Today

Las Vegas sign

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.
Jun 13, 2018; Moscow, Russia; A general view of a beer stand inside of Luschniki Stadium one day prior to the start of the FIFA World Cup 2018.

Saudi Arabia Says No Alcohol at 2034 World Cup

Saudi Arabia won’t allow alcohol anywhere during the 2034 World Cup.
August 30, 2024

Premier League Transfer Spending Has Already Topped $2 Billion As Deadline Looms

Saudi Pro League teams haven’t yet matched their English counterparts.
January 13, 2025

Gavin Newsom Reveals Status of 2028 Olympics As Los Angeles Wildfires Roar

Gavin Newsom says there’s a “Marshall Plan” to rebuild Los Angeles.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Paralympics Tiktok
August 25, 2024

The Wildly Successful Paralympics TikTok Account Isn’t What You Think

A cheeky TikTok account is opening the world of Paralympic sports.
August 11, 2024

Passing of the Torch: Los Angeles Set for Olympic Firsts in 2028

The city last hosted the Summer Olympics in 1984.
August 1, 2024

Saudi Arabia Submits Bold World Cup Bid That Includes a Cliffside Arena

The Saudis are proposing a new stadium in a futuristic city called Neom.
John John Florence (USA) surfs in men’s round two competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach.
July 29, 2024

Olympic Surfers Won’t Get Their Full Paris Moment

‘We’re kind of separate off on our own little thing over here.’