Russell Westbrook Retired Last Month. He’s Already Building a League

The retirement announcement came in August. The next move came September 2.

Less than a month after ending an 18-year NBA career, Russell Westbrook joined Project B — a global men’s and women’s basketball league launching in early 2027 — as a co-founder, chief strategy officer, and board member with an equity stake. The jersey barely had time to cool off.

This is not a ceremonial role. Westbrook will take an active part in shaping Project B’s basketball strategy and long-term vision, lead strategic partnerships, and sit at the table where the league’s most consequential decisions get made. He is not a brand ambassador attached to someone else’s vision. He is a builder inside the structure from day one.

What Project B Is

Project B is a global five-on-five basketball league structured around six teams with 11-player rosters — men’s and women’s circuits running in parallel. The league is slated to launch in December 2026 and run through April 2027, competing through cities in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Former Atlanta Hawks general manager Landry Fields was named head of men’s basketball this summer. Maverick Carter — LeBron James’ longtime business partner — is also part of the executive team. The league has already signed a significant roster of WNBA talent for its women’s circuit. Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Mitchell, Sophie Cunningham, and Dallas Wings rookie Azzi Fudd have all committed. The league has stated that salaries on the women’s side will top those currently offered by the WNBA.

What Westbrook Brings

Westbrook is the highest-profile addition to Project B’s executive team to date. His presence changes the conversation around the league — not just in terms of visibility, but in terms of credibility with the players the league is trying to attract.

He spent 18 years inside the NBA as one of its most competitive and recognizable players. He understands what players want from a league structure, what they are missing, and what they would trade for something different. That institutional knowledge is not something Project B could have hired from outside the sport.

He was direct about his motivation: “At every step of my career, what was most valuable to me was making sure everyone had a seat at the table. 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.”

That last phrase is the core of it. Shareholders and decision makers. Not employees of a league owned by someone else — participants in building what the league becomes.

The Pattern It Fits

Westbrook’s move to Project B lands inside a broader pattern that has been building across professional sports for several years. Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier co-founded Unrivaled rather than wait for existing structures to serve them better. Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, and Tara Davis-Woodhall took founding equity in Athlos rather than sign appearance deals. Luka Dončić built 77X to own his relationship with fans directly.

What connects all of it is the same conviction Westbrook expressed in his statement — that athletes who generate the value of a sport deserve to own a meaningful share of the structures that monetize it. Project B is the basketball version of that argument.

The difference with Westbrook is the timing. He is not an athlete who transitioned into ownership years after retirement, once the playing career was safely in the past. He announced his retirement in August. He announced his Project B co-founder role in September. The gap between the two was weeks. He was planning this while he was still playing.

What It Means for Project B

Adding Westbrook as a co-founder the same week as the league’s women’s roster continues to build gives Project B a credibility anchor it could not have purchased. His willingness to take an equity stake rather than an advisory fee also signals genuine belief in what the league is trying to do.

There is no indication that Westbrook will play in the league. The question of whether he eventually does — and the speculation it generates — is itself a form of marketing that no press release can replicate.

The league launches in December. The building is already underway. Westbrook is at the table.