Gen.T honouree Jay Li on Asia's basketball revolution

Li’s revelation came when he observed a fundamental gap in Asia’s basketball ecosystem. “The single missing puzzle to elevate Asia’s basketball ecosystem is through better university-level competition,” he says. “In the US, NBA players become famous when they are student athletes; and college basketball historically attracts some of the world’s biggest sports audiences.”

The solution, he believes, isn’t to replicate professional league models, but to lean into what matters in Asia. “Education has always been one of the most valued aspects of Asian families and societies,” Li says. “Instead of trying to build a professional league, I saw that the real opportunity was to reimagine collegiate sport as the bridge—linking education, professional development and fandom in a much more socially impactful way than just basketball itself.”

Before AUBL, the infrastructure existed in fragments. “You already have some strong domestic university competitions across key  markets, but everything happens in pockets,” Li says. “We want to connect those dots and create a single stage where the best young players from across the region can compete, grow and be seen.” The league is constructing what Li describes as essential foundation: “a pan-regional home-and-away competition system, production and broadcast that give [universities] international exposure, and a digital content pipeline that tells the players’ stories to a global audience”. For Li, it is far more than a sporting competition. “To us, AUBL is a movement to build the culture that connects what young people care about and turns that energy into something the whole region can rally around.”

Asian universities bring unique advantages to this model, he says, describing them as “some of the most powerful brands in the world”. While March Madness—the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men’s and women’s basketball championship tournaments and all the interest that surrounds it—provides a reference point, he’s adamant that something rooted in regional culture needs to exist. “What we are creating is something distinctly Asian, shaped by the academic prestige of the institutions here and the way families view education; and the cross-border nature of the league.”

The league also plans to reflect contemporary Asian youth culture. “We want to lean into the cultural diversity of the AUBL, weaving elements of K-pop, anime and streetwear culture into our events. Our goal is for the AUBL to feel as intense and emotional as March Madness, but with its own flavour.” Basketball fanatic Tsai’s backing came naturally. “Joe is a firm believer in combining the power of sports with education, and many of his philanthropic initiatives are centred around that theme,” Li says. “So, when I approached him with the idea of AUBL two years ago, it immediately resonated with him— the rest is history.”

Li’s career trajectory shaped his approach to building AUBL. “I learnt what it means to operate at a global standard at the NBA; I learnt the importance of context and humility while assisting Yao reform the CBA.” But one lesson stands above the rest. “Each stop in my career has allowed me to see things from a different perspective, but my biggest takeaway of all is to invest in the people,” he says. “Sports business is all about the people, on or off the court. My job at the AUBL is to attract and develop the best talent who shares this passion and vision.”

For now, Li is thinking beyond traditional metrics like NBA draft picks or attendance figures to measure the success of the league. “I’m very inspired by the success of K-Pop Demon Hunters,” he says, referring to the record-breaking animated film. “It sets a new north star for people who work in media and entertainment in Asia. For our five-year goal, I want AUBL to become a keyword when people think of Asian youth culture with global impact.”

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