LeBron James set to square off against Candace Parker for ownership of NBA expansion team in Las Vegas
While LeBron James just recently inked a two-year extension with the LA Lakers, ownership isn't far from the future Hall of Famer's mind. James has consistently expressed his ambition to own an NBA franchise someday. According to a report from ESPN, his bid for ownership could lead to a clash with WNBA legend Candace Parker.
According to ESPN, the expansion talks are unlikely to pick up until around the 2027-28 season. With Las Vegas being one of the frontrunners to land a franchise, it could set the stage for James to dive into ownership.
However, NBA insiders Tim Bontemps, Kevin Pelton and Brian Widnhorst indicated that another ownership group is also vying for a Las Vegas expansion team. Former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry is assembling a group that includes Candace Parker, who announced her retirement from professional basketball in April this year.
While the NBA expected to add two expansion teams, both LeBron James and the ownership group that includes Parker could end up involved in a bidding war.
Adam Silver on NBA expansion & Board of Governors meeting amid LeBron James NBA ownership talk
This week, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke at the Board of Governors meeting to discuss all things NBA. At one point, the conversation shifted to a potential expansion.
While the league had been waiting to iron out their media rights deal before seriously entertaining talk of an expansion, after signing an 11-year $76 billion media rights deal, talk of an expansion is heating up.
As Silver explained, the league has made it clear that they will address a potential future expansion at some point this season:
“It was something that we told our board we plan to address this season and we’re not quite ready yet," Silver said (per ESPN) "But, I think there’s certainly interest in the process, and I think that we’re not there yet in terms of having made any specific decisions. ... I think over time organizations should grow. It is appropriate."
“But it gets a bit complicated in terms of selling equity in the league, what that means for the existing television relationships, et cetera. What we’ve told interested parties is thank you for your interest, we’ll be back to you.”
Of course, with expansion talks looming, the big question is whether LeBron James will be able to get into the mix. Currently, James is a part of Fenway Sports Group, which is in the running to potentially acquire the Boston Celtics.
The hurdle to ownership here is the fact that James is still an active player and is unable to be a player-owner. While he is just one part of Fenway Sports Group, he would be unable to continue his career while being listed as an owner. Thus, as expansion talks ramp up, LeBron James' retirement talk is likely to ramp up as well.