Saudi Arabia has been on a tear recently, as soccer teams from the country have continued to snatch up big names from the soccer world, albeit for astronomical contracts. Even Kylian Mbappe was forced to consider a move after he was offered a 1-year, $776 million deal recently. Seeing this, countless NBA players have admitted their intrigue, wondering if massive contracts could await them too. Amidst all the hubbub on the topic, LeBron James was recently spotted in Saudi Arabia, something that has led to quite a bit of speculation about his future.
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Known to the NBA community as LeBron James’s best friend, Wade is known to have a rather off-beat connection with Saudi Arabia himself. Working with the entertainment industry of the country back in 2017, Wade posted the following on X (Formerly Twitter).
With James now looking to make connections in the country as well, it’s likely he will be looking towards Wade to help him out.
LeBron James’s spotting in Saudi Arabia causes fans to spark new rumors about his future
It’s no secret LeBron James has been looking to buy his own basketball franchise. So far, the 38-year-old has been in talks with the NBA about potentially opening a franchise in Las Vegas. But now, there are rumors of the Lakers star doing so in Saudi Arabia, after his recent visit to the country.
LeBron was spotted in Saudi Arabia catching some hoops 👀
(via @KSAbasket)
pic.twitter.com/Fa4PCeue3e— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 6, 2023
Fans are already claiming that James will be looking to get a bumper contract from franchises in Saudi Arabia.
Lebron James trying to get some of that Arab bag 💰 pic.twitter.com/Y0eKlAXJ65
— Ball Room Service🏀 (@ballroomservice) September 6, 2023
bro is gonna make 1 billion for a year over there
— Yotsuba Nakano (@animestocks) September 6, 2023
He’s about to persuade them to give him that Mbappe kind of deal
— K9INΞ 🦴🟦 (@KVG9ine) September 6, 2023
They aren’t the only ones either, as countless others in the NBA community seem to believe there may be more to the jokes, players like Giannis Antetokounmpo are making.
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That said, LeBron James made the trip to Saudi Arabia to attend a friendly match at the AZM academy. Of course, the invite he received likely had a large sum of money that came with it. However, so far, there are no official reports of any business deals made by the King in the country.
Saudi Arabia may want more than James
NBA analysts, Kevin O’Connor, and Chris Vernon recently looked into Saudi Arabia, and how they may take over the world of sports while recording an episode of their podcast, ‘The Mismatch’. During their discussion, LeBron James potentially moving to the country came up.
KOC: “If there is no salary cap for this theoretical new league, where LeBron (James) is making $100 billion or… ”
Vern: “They are offering (Kylian Mbappe), $747 million, 3 quarter of billion! For 1 year!… Seeing all those (NBA Players joke about going to Saudi Arabia)… don’t goof too much! Because these jokers might throw a billion dollars at somebody!
KOC: I think they’re joking because they want that offer.
Vern: Of course, they do!
KOC: LeBron could become a free agent next offseason. And his son can enter the NBA. What if they offer $150 million package deal for the both of them?
Vern: “*Sarcastically* God bless!”
Admittedly, it is a bit unlikely that James or his son Bronny ever go to the country at any stage of their career. Still, given the amount of money franchises in the country seem to be throwing around, it can’t quite be counted out either.
