Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau
Los Angeles Lakers forward Lebron James watches the closing minutes of the Miami vs. China game from a tunnel while waiting for the Lakers game against the Chicago Bulls during the NBA Summer League Friday, July 5, 2019, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Thursday, June 9, 2022 | 11:38 a.m.
LeBron James recently became the first active NBA player to amass $1 billion in career earnings, and now he’s got his sights set on owning a team — in Las Vegas.
In a clip from an upcoming episode of his HBO talk show, “The Shop: Uninterrupted,” James acknowledges his desire to move into an ownership role after he retires, and specifically cites Las Vegas as his preferred location.
“I want to own a team. I want to buy a team for sure,” James says. “I want a team in Vegas. I want the team in Vegas.”
Forbes Magazine crowned James as a billionaire last week, putting him in a class with retired NBA legend Michael Jordan. James has made $385 million in salary over his 19-year NBA career and augmented that with $900 million in off-court earnings.
There has been speculation that the NBA is looking to expand from 30 to 32 teams, with Las Vegas and Seattle emerging as the favored locations for the new franchises.
In its 2021 valuation of current NBA franchises, Forbes placed the average value at $2.2 billion, with the New York Knicks checking in as the most valuable team ($5 billion) and the Memphis Grizzlies rounding out the list as the least valuable ($1.3 billion).
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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