NBA icon LeBron James’ dreams of owning a professional basketball team in Las Vegas have been welcomed by commissioner Adam Silver - but he warned expansion will not happen in the foreseeable future.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar James has been vocal about his hopes to own an NBA franchise as he eyes following in the footsteps of other legends who have transitioned into a management role after retiring. Michael Jordan - who won six championships with the Chicago Bulls - is the chairman of the Charlotte Hornets after taking majority control of the team in 2010.
David Robinson and Grant Hill own stakes in the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks respectively, while James’ close friend Dwyane Wade purchased an ownership stake in the Utah Jazz. Meanwhile, Shaquille O’Neal was a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings from 2013 to 2022.
Earlier this month, James made his hopes of owning an NBA franchise very clear by publicly declaring his intentions. He pleaded with NBA commissioner Silver to let him bring a team to Las Vegas, following in the footsteps of the iconic NFL franchise, the Raiders.
The 37-year-old said: “I know Adam [Silver] is in Abu Dhabi right now, I believe, with the [Milwaukee] Bucks and Atlanta [Hawks]. But he probably sees every single interview and transcript that comes through from NBA players, so I want the team here, Adam. Thank you.”
In an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Silver responded to James’ plea. He joked the four-time NBA champion had called him out, but appeared to welcome the move at some stage in the future.
“In all seriousness, I think it’s very healthy for the league when you have sort of this lifecycle of players then moving into management, potentially moving into ownership,” Silver told NBA Today. “Obviously, Michael Jordan is the owner of Charlotte. David Robinson [in] San Antonio. Grant Hill in Atlanta. Shaq owned a piece of Sacramento for a while. So, I think it’s great for the ecosystem.
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“I’m thrilled that LeBron aspires to be an NBA team owner one day, I’d say Las Vegas specifically, you know, will make a great location for a franchise one day. We have a WNBA team, there are the Aces that obviously just won the championship.
“It’s not on the front burner right now for the league. I think we’ve been very public about the fact we want to get through collective bargaining. We want to see where our new media deals come out, but then we’ll turn back to expansion at some point.”
Once the NBA decides to expand and welcome a new franchise, Las Vegas and Seattle are the two most likely cities to be confirmed. Seattle is something of a hallowed area for basketball given its rich history within the sport, with the Supersonics previously residing there before they relocated and rebranded as the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of the 2008/09 NBA season.
James already owns stakes in sports franchises around the world, serving as a minority owner of the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool F.C. through his partnership with Fenway Sports Group. The three-time MVP recently followed the likes of Tom Brady in purchasing a Major League Pickleball team as part of a consortium that includes former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Kevin Love and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.
