LeBron James has two dreams at the end of his career: playing with his son Bronny in the NBA and then owning a team in the American professional basketball league.
Already having many titles from individual to team after 20 years of playing, LeBron James is gradually moving towards life after his NBA career. And to maintain his connection to the orange ball as well as the American professional basketball league, the superstar currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers has set his sights on owning a club in the NBA.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis in a preseason match last week in the NBA
This is considered one of James’s last wishes before retiring, along with the goal of standing on the same field (as teammates or opponents) with his son Bronny James.
However, this desire of LeBron will meet a giant counterweight, both literally and figuratively. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has just voiced his desire to own an NBA team in Las Vegas, a goal that LeBron James is also pursuing.
Unlike many NBA clubs that have many shareholders contributing capital, O’Neal wants to be the main owner and only have a few small shareholders in his own investment group.
LeBron James wants to own the 31st team in the NBA, but he will face a serious opponent, both literally and figuratively, in Shaquille O’Neal.Advertisements
“I want to do it myself. I will be the head of the shareholder group myself and within that, the shareholders will also be chosen by me ,” Shaquille O’Neal recently shared at a charity event in Las Vegas.
“I know many people are also aiming to own a football team here, I am also one of them. But if I were the owner, I would do it alone and don’t want to share capital with any other stars or tycoons.”
Shaquille O’Neal does not want to partner with any other giants or NBA players in owning a new team in Las Vegas.
For many years, the NBA has considered expanding the tournament by adding at least one more team to the existing list of 30 teams. If this becomes a reality, Las Vegas is the top choice because of the opportunity to make money, expand business and many other factors.
Right behind Vegas is Seattle (Washington state, USA), where the Seattle Supersonics Club used to be, but later changed ownership and moved location to Oklahoma, changing its name to the current Oklahoma City Thunder.
Unlike LeBron James, who can be considered a rookie in the team ownership world, legendary Shaquille O’Neal has been a shareholder of the Sacramento Kings since 2013.
Shaq then sold his shares in the Kings in 2022, a move experts considered “raising capital” to prepare for owning a new team in the NBA.
Like LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, after an illustrious career in the NBA, turned to business and wanted to own a team.
Another related information is that O’Neal has lived in Las Vegas for nearly 20 years, personally operating a number of businesses in this “sin city”. Therefore, he is very determined in owning an NBA club in Las Vegas if this becomes a reality.
“I used to own one of the busiest nightclubs here (Las Vegas – PV), sold it and then owned 9-10 different restaurants in the city.
My business is doing very well and I want to grow more. There will be nothing like an NBA team playing in Las Vegas, everything will be great.”
