LeBron James himself said many times that he wants to own an NBA team after his playing days.
In 2022, he was ready to make a bet on Las Vegas, which has yet to get an NBA franchise. However, Vegas is where the NBA Cup semifinals and finals are played since the 2023-24 season.
MLB will have a team called the Athletics for the city of Vegas starting in 2028. It will join as the third team of the city, besides the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. The Golden Knights came as a franchise expansion in 2017, and the Raiders moved there from Oakland in 2020.
Vegas also has a team in the WNBA. The Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA moved from San Antonio in 2018.
During the NBA Cup in 2023, LeBron said, “It’s a sports town. Hopefully, I can bring my franchise here someday.”
Now, it looks like he has changed his mind about bringing his franchise to the city of Vegas.
He was asked on Wednesday night if he was looking forward to owning an NBA franchise. He said with a straightforward face, “No, I’m not. Not at all.”
He has been in business with Fenway Sports Group. The group has owned the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool of the Premier League since 2011. Before the comments made by James, The Athletic reported that the bids for the upcoming NBA franchise in Vegas might reach as high as $8 billion. That is why the group is not interested in participating in the bidding.
A source close to James said. “With Fenway no longer pursuing NBA ownership, it is less likely that LeBron will pursue a team.”
NBA owners will meet next Wednesday to decide whether the league will move forward with the plans to add a team in Las Vegas or not.
