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It has been widely speculated, and said by LeBron James himself, that after his days as a player, he wants to own a team.
In 2022, he looked specifically at Las Vegas, which does not yet have an NBA franchise but is where the new NBA Cup semifinals and finals have been played since the 2023-24 season.
Additionally, starting in 2028, MLB’s Athletics will be the third team in Sin City, joining the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, who arrived as an expansion franchise in 2017, and the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, who moved there from Oakland in 2020. The WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces also moved from San Antonio in 2018 and have won three titles since then.
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LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers gestures in the first half of the West Semifinal game of the NBA Season Opening Tournament against the New Orleans Pelicans at T-Mobile Arena on December 7, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“It’s a sports city. Hopefully one day I can bring my franchise here,” James said during the NBA Cup in 2023.
However, he seems to have changed his mind.
Asked Wednesday night if he’s still interested in owning a team, James said bluntly: “No, I’m not. Not at all.”
James has been a business partner of Fenway Sports Group, owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool of the Premier League, since 2011.
However, prior to James’ comments, The Athletic reported that because bids could reach up to $8 billion for the Las Vegas team, the group is not interested in participating in the bidding.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James sits on the bench during the first half of a game against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, California, Thursday, April 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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“With Fenway no longer pursuing NBA ownership, LeBron is less likely to pursue a team,” a source close to James told the outlet.
NBA owners are scheduled to meet next Wednesday to decide whether the league will move forward with its plans to add a team in Las Vegas and even make the association’s return to Seattle. Twenty-three owners would need to give the green light before the changes officially begin to take place.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers runs down the court after receiving an offensive charge against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first half of the West Semifinal game of the NBA Season Opening Tournament at T-Mobile Arena on December 7, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Lakers defeated the Pelicans 133-89. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The NBA has not expanded since 2004, when the association returned to Charlotte for the Bobcats after the original Hornets moved to New Orleans. That team is now the Pelicans, while the Bobcats reacquired the original Hornets nickname in 2014.
Las Vegas hosted the 2007 NBA All-Star Game.
