Lebron James Says ‘I Want The Team Here Adam, Thank You,’ While Directly Requesting The NBA Commissioner Assist Him In Bringing A Professional Team To Las Vegas

October 6, 2022 by Kay Johnson in Sports with 0 Comments

Lebron James, Adam Silver

Lebron James Says ‘I Want The Team Here Adam, Thank You,’ While Directly Requesting The NBA Commissioner Assist Him In Bringing A Professional Team To Las Vegas

NBA champion Lebron James is serious about owning his own team.

During a recent press conference, the Los Angeles Lakers star sent a direct message to the league’s commissioner regarding his attempt to start a Las Vegas-based NBA team. Lebron James, 37, previously opened up about wanting to bring a team to Sin City back in June of this year. After being asked about the city recently, James opted to publicly speak to the man who ultimately decides a new team’s fate.

Following an interviewer asking him to speak on the fan love he receives in Vegas, James responded:

“It’s wonderful. It’s the best fanbase in the world….I would love to bring a team here at some point. That would be amazing,”

LeBron tells Adam Silver he wants the NBA Las Vegas expansion team (if/when)https://t.co/5zx0t9SJHP pic.twitter.com/J0jxC8Z7bO

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 6, 2022

Smirking, he continued on to directly address NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who ultimately has the final say. He stated:

“I know Adam is in Abu Dhabi right now, I believe….But he probably sees every single interview and transcript that comes through from NBA players. So, I want the team here, Adam. Thank you.”

While on his HBO talk series The Shop, James first revealed his goal of starting a team in the dessert state. The four-time basketball champion stated that he’d much rather pursue owning a team before becoming a sports analyst in retirement, following the likes of Shaq, Charles Barkley, Dwayne Wade, and many others.

Reports claim that while the goal is not unattainable, it will seemingly be awhile before James would be able to see team ownership through. Along with having to wait until he retires from the league, NBA commissioner Adam Silver would also have to allow the league to expand. Previously, Silver stated while expansion is eventually inevitable, it’s not a priority for the league at this time, stating:

“Enterprises naturally grow over time. There’s no doubt Seattle would be a great market. Las Vegas would be a great market. There’s state-of-the-art arenas in both those communities….We’ll look at it. Interestingly, it’s not on the front burner for our league right now.”

James has also been recently vocal about staying in the game until he’s able to play with his 18-year-old son Bronny James, maybe even 15-year-old Bryce. Ultimately, this would extend the time it’d take him to own a team as players are unable to have an ownership stake in teams under current rules.

Lebron, Bryce, & Bronny James

However, reports note the NBA governing entity, the CBA, is up for review in 2024 – opening the possibility that player-ownership agreements could change.

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Would you be excited about a Las Vegas NBA team? Give us your thoughts in the comments!