LeBron’s next NBA goal: ‘I want a team in Vegas’

(FILES) In this file photo taken on June 01, 2022 US basketball player LeBron James arrives for Netflix’s Los Angeles premiere of “Hustle” held at the Westwood Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Michael Tran / AFP)

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, recently declared by Forbes magazine as the NBA’s first active player worth $1 billion, has a new goal — owning an NBA team in Las Vegas.

The 37-year-old playmaker was shown in a social media video clip from Friday’s edition of his talk show “The Shop” declaring his latest NBA desire.

“I want to own a team,” James said. “I want to buy a team, for sure.

“I want a team in Vegas. I want the team in Vegas.”

Las Vegas has been often mentioned as a prime spot for an expansion club along with Seattle, although NBA commissioner Adam Silver said this week there are no immediate plans for expansion from 30 teams.

But there is a plan for a major new arena in Vegas, which is already the home of an NFL and NHL team and is often mentioned as a possible relocation site for Major League Baseball’s Oakland A’s.

James, a four-time NBA champion and four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, owns SpringHill Company, an entertainment development and production firm that made “Space Jam: A New Legacy” — a film released last year starring James.

He’s also a part owner of Fenway Sports Group, which owns MLB’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League football side Liverpool and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.

© Agence France-Presse