After “more than a year of analyzing Dallas sites” for their planned multi-billion-dollar arena and entertainment district, the Mavericks have chosen Valley View. The organization executed option agreements to “purchase approximately 104 acres of the 110-acre former site of Valley View Mall.” It is a “seismic decision that could reshape Dallas’ sports and entertainment landscape for decades, upending the city’s NBA franchise from its 46-year epicenter by moving it and its games 13 miles to the north.” Monday’s news is a “lethal blow to city and business leaders’ yearlong efforts to woo the project for downtown, potentially on the current site of City Hall.” The Mavericks said in a statement that, “The Valley View site meets most of the criteria established at the outset of our evaluation process. It is our goal to stay in the City of Dallas and this is our best option to do so.” Terms of the option agreements were not released, but a source said that the “Valley View-or-downtown decision is final,” with Mavericks CEO Rick Welts “personally informing” City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert on Monday (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/1).

Warriors G Steph Curry announced on social media that he signed a 10-year shoe endorsement deal with Chinese sportswear company Li-Ning -- and is a “sneaker free-agent no more.” Warriors F Jimmy Butler also has a deal with Li-Ning and is “featured prominently on the company’s website.” Former Warriors G Klay Thompson has long had an endorsement contract with Anta, another Chinese company. Curry said in a video post on Instagram and X that the deal “is bigger than a shoe deal, bigger than a signature series … This is the partnership of a lifetime” (SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, 6/1). The deal was negotiated by Curry’s agent, Jeff Austin, co-managing director of Octagon Basketball (Octagon). In a letter announcing the move, Curry noted company founder Li Ning is a “forward thinking businessman, and visionary that I really respect and believe in.” He added it is “amazing to see how he’s grown his namesake company as an athlete founder, knowing I have those same hopes and aspirations for Curry Brand” (Curry Brand).

Curry ultimately “chose Li-Ning over several competing offers after being impressed by the performance and comfort of signature shoes worn by teammates and fellow brand athletes Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade” (N.Y. POST, 6/1).

ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report Curry’s new deal and noted it “extends his Curry Brand venture globally.” The agreement “encompasses basketball products, athleisure, the ability for Curry to sign athletes under his brand, and a full golf line” (X, 6/1).

Curry began his career with Nike in 2009 and had been with Under Armour since 2013. Curry and Under Armour announced in November that they had agreed to “mutually part ways.” As part of the agreement, Curry was able to keep his Curry Brand and move it to another shoe company (THE ATHLETIC, 6/1).

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The MLB Owners’ Meetings take place this week in New York, and Commissioner Rob Manfred will address reporters on Wednesday. There will be a lot to discuss.

Manfred has yet to expand on the league’s widely expected decision to introduce a hard salary cap and floor system, though he gave expansive thoughts on payroll disparity during an appearance last week on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Manfred will also be able to address MLBPA Interim Exec Dir Bruce Meyer shooting down the league’s economic proposal on Monday. MLB has yet to make its proposal to the union surrounding issues relating to the reserve clause.

Of course, the owners will all be in the same place to discuss the massive gap that currently exists between the two sides, with six months left before the Dec. 1 expiration of the CBA.

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After chairing MLB’s competition committee for the past seven years, Mariners owner John Stanton will be moving to chair the league’s business board.

Giants owner Greg Johnson will succeed Stanton as competition committee chair, though Stanton will remain on the committee. Tuesday marks the start of committees at the MLB Owners’ Meetings in New York.

Stanton’s tenure will be defined by the implementation of several successful pace of play rules designed to speed up the game, most notably the pitch clock.

“It’s been an honor,” Stanton told SBJ.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been invited to testify before Congress as the league “faces increasing federal scrutiny about its broadcast deals and its recent practice of airing games on paywalled streaming services.” House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan sent a letter to the commissioner on Monday requesting his appearance at a hearing on June 10 examining the league’s TV deals and their compliance with the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. The law grants professional sports leagues limited antitrust immunity, allowing them to pool their media rights and negotiate as a single entity while protecting them from antitrust lawsuits. There has been bipartisan sentiment “in favor of updating the law,” and President Trump has “been among the critics of the NFL’s embrace of streaming” (AP, 6/1).

Longtime sports marketer Tom Fox has joined Scott Coker’s yet-unnamed MMA circuit as COO.

The startup, headed by Coker, Strikeforce founder/CEO and former Bellator president, is scheduled to launch early next year.

Fox had been working with the MMA buildout since last October in stealth mode and has known and worked with Coker since 2007. What piqued Fox’s interest?

“Mostly Scott (Coker),” he said. “The (MMA) industry seems ripe for growth. He knows the fight game and is well respected within it”

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TMRW Sports and Trybe Ventures, the group co-founded by former UWSNT player Alex Morgan, have added a handful of women athletes as investors in the soon-to-launch WTGL golf league.

Trybe is WTGL’s lead investor, and the group now includes top-ranked WTA player Aryna Sabalenka, hockey player Hilary Knight and a handful of current and former WNBA players, including Diana Taurasi, Napheesa Collier, Gabriela Jaquez, Nneka Ogwumike and Breanna Stewart.

WTGL is set to launch this winter on a to-be-determined date. Still to be ironed out is what network or platform the league will air on. Negotiations are ongoing for WTGL media rights, which could be separated out on their own or packaged with the men’s TGL. Sources have indicated in recent weeks that ESPN is seen as the current front-runner to retain TGL’s media rights.

In this episode of On Stage, Nick Khan, President of WWE and Board Member of TKO Group Holdings, joins Abraham Madkour, Publisher & Executive Editor of Sports Business Journal, for a candid conversation on the evolution of sports entertainment and the business strategy driving WWE’s next chapter.

Recorded on April 15, 2026, at SBJ’s CAA World Congress of Sports in Los Angeles, the discussion explores how WWE continues to grow as a global media property while adapting to changing consumer habits, platform dynamics, and fan expectations.

Throughout the conversation, Khan shares insights on:

• The TKO Era: How WWE fits into the broader vision of TKO and the opportunities created by scale and consolidation.  
• Media Rights & Distribution: The changing economics of live content and why premium sports entertainment remains uniquely valuable.  
• Global Expansion: WWE’s international strategy and the continued growth of live events and fan engagement worldwide.  
• Storytelling & Talent: Why character development and audience connection remain central to WWE’s success.  
• Leadership & Negotiation: Lessons from Khan’s path through sports media, talent representation, and executive leadership.  

It’s an insightful look at the intersection of media, entertainment, and live sports from one of the most influential dealmakers in the industry.

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“In the 1830s cities on the Mississippi banned cardsharps, creating more of these, now meaning one who takes big risks.”