There are 30 NBA teams with limited roster spaces, a lot players with talent have no choice but to go overseas or join the D-League as alternatives. If playing overseas can be lucrative although it means adjusting to a new lifestyle, the D-League offers merely $25K and free housing in most cases.
A non-NBA venture sees it as an opportunity to debut a summer league from July to August, it will be called The Champions League with 16 teams. Carl George, the CEO wants the rosters to be heavily filled with ex-NBA players and he says the New York team already includes former players like Rasheed Wallace, Al Harrington and Maurice Ager. Teams in city like Atlanta, Cleveland, Washington, Orlando and Miami are to taking shape.
George’s biggest recruiting tool is the salary, he says the average salary will be $200K with opportunity to win more if the team is successful. This is a big upgrade from the $25K from the D-league and even for those who would rather stay in the States rather than go overseas. Some people are skeptical because it wouldn’t be the first time a league in this format debuts but George is confident with partners like Tommy Hilfiger, they are here for the long run.
“We are committed to being well capitalized, and all that precedes the play,” said George, who describes his background as “building software companies” and whose bio cites 25 years of “business development history” that includes involvement with four businesses that were purchased by Fortune 100 companies. “You see a lot of people launch (these kinds of leagues), and then run out of (financial) runway. We said, ‘Let’s build the runway, and let’s make sure it’s there — take a day and stop and look at it and smile about it — and then let’s start landing planes on it.’ That’s the sequence.”
Another strong point for George in addition of the commitment of former NBA stars is the commitment of Keyon Dooling who still works in the NBA Players Association and brings his perspective on players who have a tough time transition after the life in the NBA. He will help give some credit to this league.
“It’s not about the money,” Dooling, who still serves the NBA Players Association as the Western region player representative, told USA TODAY Sports. “Most guys will tell you that they miss the community in the locker room, the camaraderie in the locker room, they miss their favorite restaurants that they used to travel to in all these different cities, that they miss the noise of the crowd. Those are some things that even a hundred million dollars can’t fill that void.
“At the end of the day, I’m the one – because of who I am and what I’ve been through – I’m the one who hears how difficult this transition is for our players. I’m privy to all that information…I know that guys have not transitioned as smoothly as I have. I know the impact this (league) is going to have on my brethren. That’s why I’m so passionate about it, because it’s a great opportunity to help one another transition, help one another heal, and you can scratch a living for yourself to be able to be comfortable as you figure out what the next step is. I think it’s genius.”
The Champions League plans on playing their first charity game as an introduction to the public on January 29th in Saint Louis with the proceeds of that game going to the “Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research” and “The Jimmy V. Foundation”.
