LeBron James continues to make history in basketball worldwide, and after winning the gold medal with the United States national team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, he is fully focused on the upcoming NBA season and will have to lead the Los Angeles Lakers once again.
It should be remembered that James will be fulfilling one of the biggest sporting dreams in his life when he can share a locker room and court alongside his son Bronny in the NBA since the Los Angeles team chose the player from USC in the NCAA in the rookie draft. James has a recent contract with the Lakers this season for $48.7 million dollars and also has a player option for the 2025/26 season for $52.6 million.
LeBron and another dream he has in the NBA
Retirement is a very real thing for LeBron James and although he has been a player who is known for being smart in terms of his investments, he is already thinking about the future and his intention is to continue having an important presence in the NBA, even without being a player and he is quite clear about how to achieve it. According to information from Fortune, the 4-time NBA champion and all-time leading scorer in the league plans to present an offer for one of the new expansion teams that the NBA would give the green light to, specifically for a franchise that is being created in the city of Las Vegas.
“The looming bidding war for the NBA extension team expected to be awarded to Las Vegas is implementation up to be the most competitive and costly sports deal in U.S. sports history,” Bloomberg reported. “The list of probable suitors includes LeBron James and his sponsors and the Red Bull company among others, according to people who are usually in the situation. The total price tag, including construction of a new arena, could reach $7 billion, according to two sports advisers who have previously sold NBA teams.”
LeBron, 39, has always been quite vocal and has long been keen on the opportunity to take on the role of owner/governor of his own team, but the opportunity hasn’t presented itself as of yet. With 20 years of experience in the NBA, he intends to keep his influence alive once he decides to retire.
More and more teams in Las Vegas
With a population of approximately 656,274 inhabitants, Las Vegas (Nevada) is one of the most significant and popular cities in the United States and has become recognized around the world for its large casinos, shows, and nightlife that millions of tourists visit year after year.
From the Golden Knights (hockey) and the Raiders (football) to the Aces (women’s basketball), Las Vegas is a sports city that continues to grow every year and the NBA could be the next to take advantage of this and have a team based in the city.
James is looking for business partners
The only hurdle for LeBron would be securing the funds necessary to make this a reality. James is a billionaire, but to afford such a significant investment that could be in the region of $7 billion, he would need some business partners and other connections to build an ownership group that is the most capable and ready to take on such a project.
