Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James remains at the peak of his powers, producing as one of the best players in the NBA despite being in Year 21 of his career. But, James knows that the end of his playing days is nearing and is already putting plans in place for life after basketball.
While he won’t be a player, James has plans to remain very close to the NBA. Becoming an owner is something that he has his sights set on, and he already has a city where he would love for that team to be based.
James has not been shy about his wishes to own an NBA team in Las Vegas. “I would love to bring a team here at some point, that would be amazing,” James said. “It’s the best fan base in the world and I would love to bring a team here… I want a team here Adam [Silver], thank you.”
James made those comments after playing a preseason game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where the NBA also held their In-Season Tournament Championship. The Lakers won that, and the commissioner Adam Silver made a joke about the Championship trophy unfortunately not coming with a franchise.
In the opinion of many people, the NBA In-Season Tournament was yet another example of James’s desire to own a team in Las Vegas. He got his Lakers to buy in from the start as they took the games very seriously. It paid off, as Los Angeles won the championship and made everyone on the roster and coaching staff a little bit of money as well.
The first active NBA player to reach billionaire status, James has a lot of ventures planned for after his play days are over. Being an owner remains atop that list, as he already has plans for the kind of people he will hire to work under him.
“When I get my team, the teams that draft well, those guys will be working for me for sure,” James told J.J. Redick during an episode of their podcast, Mind The Game. “OKC does an unbelievable job.”
It certainly seems as if it is a matter of when, not if, James is owning an NBA franchise. If things go according to plan, it will be a Vegas-based team that he already has major plans for.
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