HONG KONG, March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Realeague, the creator of the recent high-profile global sports business summit in Macao and the proposed new East Asia club basketball competition, announces the addition of Greg Stolt to its leadership team as Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations. Stolt joins Realeague with a distinguished track record of over 15 years in basketball development with the NBA, primarily in East Asia and South Asia markets. This hiring signals an important step towards Realeague's commitment to launch a new pan-regional competition in the near future.

A US citizen, Stolt's extensive international basketball expertise stems from both his tenure in the NBA as Vice President of Basketball Operations and his earlier career as a professional player.

During his time with the NBA, he played a pivotal role in formulating strategies to promote basketball in China and other regions of Asia, working closely with key stakeholders such as the Chinese Basketball Association from grassroots to elite level basketball development activities. He planned and executed more than 300 basketball programs and events at the NBA. Notably, he spearheaded the launch of the NBA Academy program in China and led NBA China's efforts in facility partnerships and operations where he managed the NBA Basketball School project in Haikou, Hainan Province, the only basketball facility in the world directly operated by the NBA. 

From 1999 to 2006, he played professional basketball across various leagues in Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Australia. Notably, he spent two seasons playing for the Niigata Albirex and Panasonic Super Kangaroos in the then-Japanese Basketball League. He speaks Japanese.

In his new role at Realeague, Greg Stolt will leverage his wealth of experience to oversee related preparations for upcoming new competitions. He is also responsible for managing relationships with basketball governing bodies, federations, participating leagues, and teams.

"We are thrilled to welcome Greg Stolt to the team," said Jay Li, Founder and CEO of Realeague. "I've known Greg for more than a decade. His expertise and passion for the sport align seamlessly with our vision. With Greg at the helm of our basketball operations, we are confident in our ability to create a thriving ecosystem to propel professional basketball competition to new heights in East Asia."

"I am honored to join Jay and his team at Realeague and embark on the journey of creating new competitions in this part of the world where I'm very attached to," said Greg Stolt. "This is an incredible opportunity to support the growth of the game of basketball in the region. Creating a good pan-regional product will require an enormous team effort. We have a great group of people with extensive and relevant experience who will be able to pull this off."

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About Realeague:

Founded in 2023 in Hong Kong, Realeague plans to launch a new East Asia regional professional basketball competition with participating teams from Greater China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia. Realeague is also the creator of the Greater Bay Area International Sports Business Summit, which held its first edition in February 2024 in Macao that welcomed 500+ distinguished speakers and guests from around the world, including Chairman of Alibaba and Owner of Brooklyn Nets, Joe Tsai; Managing Director of IOC Television & Marketing Services, Anne-Sophie Voumard; President of Chinese Basketball Association, Yao Ming; NBA Legend and Hall of Famer, Dwyane Wade, and many others. Realeague is invested by Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund's Greater Bay Area Fund, managed by Gobi GBA.