LeBron of Arabia - NBA Los Angeles Lakers star James holds clinic in Saudi Arabia

LeBron James has fuelled rumours his jokey social media post about playing in Saudi Arabia may have been more than just that, as he visited the country for the first time. The Los Angeles Lakers forward, and fellow NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, both said recently they'd be interested in securing some of the financial pie that has lured several top footballers to play in the Middle Eastern nation in the past 12 months. James though was officially in Riyadh though to lead a training session for a number of young local players, organised by the Saudi Arabian Basketball Federation. Saudi Arabia has an established professional league and has seen significant growth in registered basketball teams, from 45 in 2018 to 105 teams in 2023. 28 of the squads are female teams. Six male and female national teams also represent Saudi Arabia in regional and global tournaments.