The Los Angeles Lakers have made it a habit of visiting the city of Las Vegas during the preseason and that was the case in their second preseason game of 2022. And even though they fell short in the end, the Lakers as a whole looked good and LeBron James put on an absolute show for the Vegas crowd, most of whom were rocking purple and gold.
LeBron quickly made people forget about his struggles in the Lakers’ preseason opener as he hit 8-of-11 shots from the field including 3-of-6 from 3-point range on his way to 23 points and four assists in just 17 minutes.
After the game, James’ focus wasn’t solely on the Lakers, however, as the topic of bringing a team to Las Vegas permanently was brought up, and LeBron is all for it.
“It’s the best fanbase in the world, and I would love to bring a team here at some point. That would be amazing,” LeBron said following the Lakers’ 119-115 loss to the Phoenix Suns. “I know Adam [Silver] is in Abu Dhabi right now, I believe, with the [Milwaukee] Bucks and Atlanta [Hawks]. But he probably sees every single interview and transcript that comes through from NBA players, so I want the team here, Adam. Thank you.”
There have been rumors going around about the possibility of NBA expansion and the city of Las Vegas is always at the forefront of those talks. In fact, it would seem like Las Vegas, along with Seattle, are the most likely choices for expansion should the league in fact go that route.
LeBron has been open about his desire to own a team one day and has already dipped his toe into the ownership pool, being a partner of Fenway Sports which makes him part-owner of franchises like the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C.
We don’t know how much longer James’ playing career will last, but he will have plenty to keep him busy once he is done and it sounds like he could potentially play a big role in a future Las Vegas NBA franchise.
LeBron James, Kevin Love, Draymond Green purchase Major League Pickleball team
Speaking of James being an owner of a sports team, the Lakers superstar teamed with former teammate Kevin Love and Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green to purchase an expansion team with Major League Pickleball through LRMR Ventures.
The purchase is part of a four-team expansion of MLP, one of the fastest-rising sports in America. Nearly 4.8 million people played the sport in 2021, and it is seeing an annual growth of 11.8% over the last five years.
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