NBA
How much would it cost LeBron James to buy the Las Vegas NBA expansion team?
The future NBA Hall of Famer still has two years left on his contract with the Lakers, but he’s already thinking about his next step.
LeBron James will take part in his 22nd NBA season when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on October 22. The league’s future Hall of Famer has broken nearly every individual record possible, including the all-time scoring record in February 2023.
Despite being nearly 40 years old, he remains one of the most decisive players in the NBA and led the United States to the gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
But James won’t keep playing forever, with suggestions he will bring his illustrious career to an end once the 2025/26 season finishes.
What will LeBron James do when he retires?
According to Maverick Carter, LeBron’s close friend and business partner, the forward plans to own an NBA franchise in the future. James has been linked with making a bid for the Las Vegas expansion team, which has been long rumoured.
Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, Carter said: “LeBron is absolutely determined to own an NBA team. But he’s still playing and I have no idea how much longer he’ll be around. I would have thought he would have retired a few years ago, but there he is with his beard, still graying, showing young people that ‘Grandpa’ is still playing.”
NBA ownership rules force LeBron to wait for Las Vegas bid
It’s worth noting that active players cannot own a team or have ownership stakes in an NBA franchise (James does, however, already own 2% of Premier League soccer club Liverpool). If the 39-year-old wants to venture into the world of NBA team ownership, he’ll therefore have to wait until he has retired, which could be two years down the line.
The most recent estimations suggest it will cost $4-5 billion to buy the proposed Las Vegas franchise, although potential suitors may have to pay up to $7 billion if it’s ultimately necessary to build a new arena for the team.
James, who has a net worth of approximately $1.2 billion, will be keeping a close eye on the expected upcoming sale of the Boston Celtics, the current NBA champions who are valued at Sportico at $5.1 billion, which could impact the price of other teams in the future.