Getty LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The LeBron James rumors are getting even more interesting with the latest report suggesting the superstar may have an eye on ultimately leaving the Los Angeles Lakers to be part of an NBA expansion team. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons reported that all signs point to the NBA adding expansion franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas.
Simmons added that Fenway Sports Group, which James became part of the ownership group in 2021, is targeting the Las Vegas franchise with the Lakers star becoming the “point man” for the expansion team.
“I have some intel, I think the league is going to expand to Vegas and to Seattle,” the analyst detailed on the February 28 edition of “The Bill Simmons Podcast”. “And I think the leading contender to get that Vegas team is gonna be the Fenway Sports Group. They have Liverpool, they’ve bought the Penguins. They’ve been circling different NBA teams for a while. I think they looked at Minnesota, and I think they’re the leading contender to Vegas.
“If I had to bet on a LeBron scenario, it would be for him to be involved with whatever happens with that where he is the point man of that Vegas team. …I think that is scenario A for LeBron. He wants to be an owner. I think he wants to run one of these teams and I think conversely, I think the NBA is looking at this going, ‘We can add these huge expansion [fees].'”
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LeBron Would Need the NBA Rules Changed to Allow Him to be a Player-Owner
Will the NBA expand to Seattle and Las Vegas? @BillSimmons gives @ryenarussillo his prediction of the NBA’s future:
To be clear, this is not something that has a possibility of happening in 2023, and it remains to be seen whether James will still be playing if and when the league decides to expand. Why is the NBA exploring potentially expanding? Simmons added that the projected revenue from the additional two expansion teams would be an estimated $6.5 billion dollars, which would be divided among the current 30 franchises.
A lot of things would have to happen for not only James to become part-owner of an expansion franchise but also to play for the team. NBA rules prohibit current players from also being part of ownership groups, but Simmons noted that it is hard to imagine the league not wanting to see James make history as a player-owner.
“How is that going to work with him playing basketball? I don’t know,” Simmons explained. “Could it be Fenway Sports Group buys Vegas and then LeBron plays for them for two years and then eventually joins as the lead owner? I don’t know.
“Could you see [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver bending the rules and making it so that an owner can also play for the team? Would you put it past Adam Silver? He’s bent over for the players in all these different ways, right? Bent over to their demands, could he change the rules for that? I don’t know. I’m just saying, the Vegas thing, I would watch that.”
LeBron on Lakers: ‘This Is the Franchise I See Myself Being With’
How this rumor impacts the Lakers remains to be seen because there is no guarantee that the league will expand while James is still a player. Simmons’ comments indicate that the new franchises may be arriving sooner rather than later.
James is under contract with the Lakers through the 2022-23 season but is eligible to sign an extension with Los Angeles this offseason. After sparking rumors about his potential departure during NBA All-Star Weekend, James noted that people “twist” his words but he continues to see himself wearing a Lakers jersey for the foreseeable future. The star added a caveat that things could change if there is an opportunity to play with his oldest son Bronny James elsewhere.
“This is the franchise that I see myself being with,” James said during a February 25 press conference addressing the rumors about his future. “…I’m here, I’m here, I continue to tell you guys… I literally live in the moment. I do, I live in the moment and I see myself being with the purple and gold as long as I can play. But I also have a goal that, if it’s possible, I don’t even know if it’s possible, but if I can play with my son, I would love to do that.”