"Hopefully I can bring my franchise": LeBron James flirts with Las Vegas team ownership idea after Adam Silver's latest comments
NBA superstar LeBron James could be in play as team owner if ever the league ever decides to expand the field to Las Vegas. This comes after the latest comments from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver supporting expansion to the “Entertainment Capital of the World.”
Speaking to media ahead of the semifinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament, "The King: was asked for his thoughts on Las Vegas having an NBA franchise. In response, he teased that it was a welcome idea and something he would consider to be part of.
“It’s crazy to say this, but Vegas is a sports town. … Hopefully, I can bring my franchise here one day,” LeBron James said.
In promoting the In-Season Tournament on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Silver shared that the prerequisites the league has set for expansion to happen, including a collective bargaining agreement and new media deals, are one by one getting realized. The developments have rendered expansion in Las Vegas and Seattle highly likely.
But as he awaits the opportunity to be a team owner, the LA Lakers’ James will channel his Las Vegas focus first on their NBA In-Season Tournament semifinal clash against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.
The Lakers have been undefeated in the “tournament within the tournament,” sweeping all of their assignments in West Group A before eliminating the Phoenix Suns in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
LeBron James has been leading that charge for Los Angeles with averages of 26.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists in tournament play.
The Lakers-Pelicans semifinal clash will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
LeBron James sees Las Vegas’ potential as a sports town
With Las Vegas steadily building a reputation as a viable sports town, it's little wonder that LeBron James sees himself owning a sports team there at some point in the future.
Ahead of the ongoing NBA season, the four-time NBA champion shared why owning a sports team in Vegas makes sense for him:
“It just makes sense. Obviously, you have the Raiders here, you have the Knights here, you have the Aces here, you got F1 coming very soon. You know, All-Star Weekend has been there a few times. We have NBA Summer League that's very popular. Sports is, it’s here.”
Being a team owner is no longer new for the 38-year-old James as he has a partial stake in European football club Liverpool and MLB’s Boston Red Sox.