LeBron James recently became the first active NBA player billionaire, but that appears to be just the beginning for the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. Speaking on his HBO show “The Shop,” James said that his next goal is to own an NBA team in Las Vegas.
James’ dreams of NBA ownership are nothing new. He repeatedly said he wanted to remain in basketball as an owner once he ended his playing career. However, this is the first time that James indicated he has a location in mind.
“I want a team in Vegas,” James said. “I want the team in Vegas.”
Las Vegas seems like a good choice, especially considering the city’s growing sports market. In recent years, Vegas became home to an NHL team, an NFL team, and a WNBA team. The city could soon have an MLB team as well, considering that the Oakland Athletics have expressed interest in moving there.
However, James has a major obstacle in front of him as NBA commissioner Adam Silver indicated that the league doesn’t intend to add an expansion team anytime soon.
“At some point, this league invariably will expand, but it’s not at this moment that we are discussing it,” said Silver.
James could also buy an existing franchise and take it to Las Vegas, but that could be a challenging task as well.
