One of the main reasons LeBron James has made headlines after the Paris Olympics is Stephen Curry. Now that the Warriors player has signed an extension with the team, James’ future with his own is being discussed. If there is one thing the Lakers player has said he will definitely do is own a team, preferably one in Las Vegas. But while the NBA’s franchise expansion plans are slowly put into gear, where does James stand in the race?

Maverick Carter on the Pat McAfee Show pointed out how James is still going strong in the league, so there’s no surety of when he might get to call himself team owner as well. “LeBron is dead set on owning an NBA team but he’s still playing. I have no idea how much longer he’s gonna play,” said Carter. “I would have thought he would be done a few years ago, but he’s still out there with the beard now, still letting the young guys know grandpa’s still here balling.”

Just last month, the LA Lakers agreed to a two-year, $101.35 million deal with James that includes a no-trade clause. For the power forward, it would mean 23 seasons in the league and surpass Vince Carter’s 22-season record. If there had been any doubt before, LeBron James’ successful longevity would clear it. But then again, is it just basketball he wants to be remembered for?
“From time to time I do think about how I wanna be remembered, and I hope that it’s not just the game of basketball. You know, I feel if it’s just the game of basketball, that people talk about me in the sense of, I think I’ve kind of failed my mission,” James said in a recent interview with The Shop. “So the things that I do in my community, the way that myself and Savannah raise our kids, my relationship with my single parent mother, my friendship with my guys, bringing up my people from my hometown.”

“If those conversations don’t hit the barbershop, if those conversations don’t hit people’s emails and blogs from here to here or forums, I feel like my mission wasn’t completed. And I’m not done.”

James joked that at 39 years, he’s “old as f—— basketball terms.” But at the same time, “I’m super young in life. So you know I still have so much more work to do. I’m still building my blocks…I want to keep on building, building, building and then just let it speak for itself.”

His desire to own a team has been clear for some time. “I would love to bring a team here at some point, that would be amazing,” James had said in October 2022. “It’s the best fan base in the world and I would love to bring a team here… I want a team here Adam (Silver), thank you.”

So far, in a league not used to expansion, Seattle and Vegas are the two most popular destinations. But what if a team does end up in Sin City?

LeBron James might end up owning the most expensive sports franchise in U.S. history
From LeBron James to Red Bull, everyone is in the race for another sports franchise in Las Vegas. MLB is already planning to move the Oakland Athletics there, even if the fanbase is largely against it. But it’s still a team that already exists. Expansion in major sports leagues hasn’t been seen much in the last few decades.
MLB’s last addition came in the late 1990s, the NFL hasn’t seen any new teams since 2002, and the NBA last added a team in 2004 in Charlotte. But with Las Vegas, the huge tourist base and growing interest in sports make it a hotbed of interest. And a new team equals a new stadium, which means the area around the arena would be developed too.

“Various media reports have the fee around $4 billion. Some advisers expected it to approach $5 billion because of stiff competition and increased revenue from media rights,” reported the Japan Times.