Tracy McGrady: LeBron James will be the owner of NBA expansion team in Las Vegas
Recently, there has been lots of chatter about the NBA possibly adding at least one expansion team within the next few years. The two cities that have been discussed as the most likely to land a new team are Seattle and Las Vegas.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is as much of a businessman as he is an athlete, and he has talked about his desire to own an NBA team in Las Vegas.
Former star guard Tracy McGrady says he has heard through “league channels” that James will indeed be the owner of an expansion team there (h/t Lakers Daily).
“I’ve heard that for the last three years, that it was gonna be an expansion team out here in Las Vegas,” McGrady said. “I heard that LeBron James is going to be the owner of that. It’s his team. I heard it through league channels.”
Commissioner Adam Silver hasn’t confirmed that the league will be adding an expansion franchise. But he did say recently that once its current media contract ends in 2025, it will consider doing so.
“We will turn to expansion once those new media deals are done,” Silver said Monday, July 10, at the annual APSE conference. “It’s not a sure thing but, as I’ve said before, I think it’s natural that organizations grow over time.”
James’ current contract with the Lakers will also end at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, unless he opts out of the final year next summer.
Story originally appeared on LeBron Wire
Tracy McGrady Says LeBron James Will Own The Next Expansion Team In Las Vegas
It’s no secret that LeBron James covets a role as NBA team owner/governor, but it may be some time before he gets an opportunity to join the exclusive club. Besides the fact that James is still playing, no teams are currently up for sale.
The good news for LeBron, though, is that the NBA may just give him a team of his own. Speaking recently with GQ’s Howard Beck, basketball legend Tracy McGrady revealed what he heard through the grapevine about James as a potential owner of a Las Vegas franchise.
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“I’ve heard that for the last three years, that it was gonna be an expansion team out here in Las Vegas,” said T-Mac. “I heard that LeBron James is going to be the owner of that. It’s his team. I heard it through league channels.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about a connection between LeBron and sin city. The rumors have been going on for years, and even league Commissioner Adam Silver addressed it back in October.
“I think it’s very healthy for the league when you have sort of this life-cycle of players moving into management, potentially moving into ownership,” Silver told Malika Andrews on NBA Today. “I’m thrilled that LeBron aspires to be an NBA team owner one day. Las Vegas specifically will make a great location for a franchise one day. We have the WNBA team there, the Aces, that obviously just won the championship.”
LeBron May Be Next In Line To Become NBA Team Owner
At 38 years old, LeBron can’t play forever, and we know he’s already thinking about his post-retirement life. Nobody knows when the end will arrive for James, but it makes sense that the NBA would want to keep him around as the owner of his own Vegas team.
For now, LeBron is just going to keep doing his thing until he can’t do it anymore, but we can all rest easy knowing that even long after King James has hung up his sneakers, he’ll be part of the NBA one way or another.
No doubt, he’ll find ways to increase his legacy even further than it’s at right now.
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