Less than a month after announcing his retirement as a player, longtime NBA guard Russell Westbrook has secured a new job. Project B, a global startup basketball league on track to begin in early 2027, announced today that Westbrook has joined the company’s founding team and will hold the title of chief strategy officer, as well as co-founder (link via Business Wire).
According to the announcement, Westbrook will control an ownership stake in Project B and will be part of the league’s board of directors. He’ll “take an active role in shaping the company’s basketball strategy and long-term vision” as well as having a hand in “strategic partnerships.”
“At every step of my career, what was most valuable to me was making sure everyone had a seat at the table,” Westbrook said in a statement. “With Project B, we’re challenging the norm and bringing a new vision to the intersection of premium sport, culture, and entertainment. We’re reimagining the experience with players not only as key value drivers, but also as shareholders and decision makers.”
As previously reported, the league has secured commitments from several notable WNBA players, has hired former Hawks general manager Landry Fields to run its men’s basketball division, and is being advised by LeBron James’ longtime friend and business partner Maverick Carter.
Project B, which intends to travel around Europe and Asia, has offered players equity in the league on top of their salaries. The company’s goal is to bring in current and former NBA players, as well as top young prospects from outside the NBA for its developmental program.
As Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic observes (via Twitter), today’s announcement doesn’t say anything about whether or not Westbrook plans to play in the league. If he were to play, it would obviously be a major coup for Project B. The former Olympic gold medalist and NBA MVP was in the league for 18 years, averaging 20.9 points, 8.0 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 33.1 minutes per game over the course of 1,301 regular season appearances.
