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LeBron James insists he is serious about wanting to own an NBA franchise based in Las Vegas, serving a reminder of his ambitions to league commissioner Adam Silver.
The four-time NBA champion scored 23 points in 17 minutes on Wednesday as the Los Angeles Lakers lost a pre-season road game with the Phoenix Suns in Vegas, at the city’s T-Mobile Arena.
James is no stranger to sports club ownership, with stakes in Premier League outfit Liverpool and MLB team Boston Red Sox.
But with his career on the basketball court entering its twilight phase, the 37-year-old doubled down on his desire to own a franchise in Nevada, one of the few states in the American southwest not home to a club.
“I would love to bring a team here at some point,” he said, before calling out Silver personally. “That would be amazing. I know Adam is in Abu Dhabi right now, I believe.
“But he probably sees every single interview and transcript that comes through from NBA players. So, I want the team here, Adam. Thank you.”
James’ hopes are unlikely to materialise in the short term, given he remains under contract with the Lakers through 2025, and must be retired to own a league franchise.
Silver previously also poured cold water on immediate expansion during the NBA Finals, but did praise both Vegas and Seattle as future sites if the league chooses to grow.
“We are not discussing that at this time,” Silver said at the time. “As I said before, at some point, this league invariably will expand, but it’s not at this moment that we are discussing it.
“We were in Seattle. I’m sorry we are no longer there. Las Vegas has shown itself to be a great sports market as well.”
