The Asian University Basketball League (AUBL) has raised an undisclosed amount in a Series A funding round from several big global investors. The league announced that this funding will help it grow college basketball across Asia.
The round was led by Blue Pool Capital, the investment firm of Joe Tsai, who also supported the league in its early stage.
New investors in this round include Avenue Capital Group, Bolt Ventures, HSG, Hong Kong-based Nan Fung Group, and former basketball star Yao Ming.
The league started in 2025 with a one-week tournament in Hangzhou, where 12 top university teams from Asia took part.
Organizers said the event received over 65 million livestream views and more than 29,000 people attended in person, showing strong interest in college basketball in the region. Early sponsors of the league include Under Armour and J.P. Morgan Private Bank.
The new funding will help the league grow further by expanding its tournaments and improving its overall operations.
“The funding enables us to cover the costs of international travel for games and stage home-and-away competitions with stronger production,” the league’s CEO Jay Li told The Bay. “It will also allow us to expand our team to support game operations and content production.”
After that event, the AUBL plans to start its first full home-and-away season in November 2026.
Around 16 teams are expected to take part, playing across major cities in Asia until April 2027.
The season will end with a championship tournament, which organizers say will be similar to “March Madness,” helping grow college basketball and support young players in Asia.
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