LAS VEGAS – After wowing the crowd at T-Mobile Arena, scored 23 points in 17 minutes in the match Los Angeles Lakers‘119-115 lost pre-season for Phoenix Suns, LeBron James saved his biggest game for Wednesday night’s post-game press conference.
When asked about the NBA hosting the show game in Las Vegas, James took the opportunity to make a personal plea to commissioner Adam Silver, eager to be the first to own the team if the league extended to Sin City.
“I’d love to bring a team here at some point. That would be awesome. I know Adam is in Abu Dhabi now, I believe,” James said, alluding to him. Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawkspre-season trip that Silver is on. “But he can see every interview and transcript coming from NBA players.
“So I want the team here, Adam. Thanks.”
Wednesday wasn’t the first time James has expressed interest in owning a Las Vegas team, but it was certainly his most direct statement.
In June, on an episode of the YouTube show “The Shop: Uninterrupt,” James revealed his goal for the first time.
“I want a team in Vegas,” said James, who is already a part owner of Liverpool FC and Boston Red Sox. “I want the team in Vegas.”
Silver was asked during his annual NBA Finals press conference about the league expanding to more than 30 current teams and said there are no immediate plans to do so.
“We’re not discussing that at the moment,” Silver said. “As I said before, at some point this league will always be open, but not right now we’re discussing it.”
However, when asked specifically about Seattle and Las Vegas as potential expansion locations, Silver confirmed both locations.
“Those are great markets,” Silver said. “We were in Seattle. I’m sorry we’re not there anymore. We have a WNBA team in Seattle in an almost brand new building that’s running spectacularly. And Las Vegas, where we’ll be attending. attending the summer tournament in July, has also shown itself to be a great sports market.”
The LA Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers played a pre-season game in Seattle this week.
James bluntly states that Las Vegas has “the best fan base in the world” and winks when he says it, clearly aware that his statement will generate some buzz.
James, 37 and entering his 20th season, needs to finish playing to be able to own a team. He also needed to tie up with an ownership group to buy a team, despite having a net worth north of $1 billion, according to Forbes.
The most recent NBA team on the market, Minnesota Timberwolvessold for $1.5 billion in 2021. brooklyn network sold for an NBA record $2.35 billion in 2019. The Suns are expected to set a new record, as reported by ESPN’s Baxter Holmesas current owner Robert Sarver made the offer after pledging to part ways with the franchise amid the league suspending him for a year and fined him $10 million following a drag investigation nearly a year on his workplace behavior.
James has a contract with the Lakers until the 2024-25 season.
“I think it’s a great city, the natural organic energy here is built into the city, it goes hand in hand with the level of sport that has been considered to be located here,” said coach Darvin Ham of Lakers said. “That’s undisputed. Down the road. I don’t want to speak for the NBA or the commissioner but I think at some point you’ll see a permanent NBA team here calling Las Vegas home.”
