ESPN Analyst Reveals LeBron James Will Start Pushing For Ownership After Two Or More Years

With LeBron James reaching the twilight of his playing days, the basketball icon has started planning for the next move in his career. And that’s precisely what Brian Windhorst hinted at during the recent episode of ESPN’s First Take. The analyst highlighted the 39-year-old’s lifelong dream of owning an NBA team while outlining a timeline for his endeavors.

Initially, Windy pointed out how James had set his sights on acquiring stakes in the upcoming Las Vegas franchise. However, this expansion plan might take at least two years to come to fruition, making the 4x champion committed to the Los Angeles Lakers until then. Yet, ‘The King’ allegedly remians focused on his approach, as Windhorst mentioned,

“The biggest thing other than health…that’s gonna determine the end of LeBron’s career is…when they are gonna establish that expansion team in Las Vegas…I suspect once the TV rights deal get wrapped up which should be this summer sometime…they are gonna bring expansion to the table and they’re probably gonna pick a year in which that’s gonna be…It’ll probably at the earliest be two years from now and that’s where I think LeBron will be focused on”.

Indirectly, this statement answered all the questions surrounding James’ future as an NBA player. On top of this, the latter’s recent decision to sign a two-year extension with the Lakers added volume to this. This further indicated how the 4x MVP remains determined to end his playing career in the City of Angels.

At the same time, the fan interest grew over James’ upcoming moves. After all, Windy’s words again put into focus the Lakers star’s nearly two-year-old declaration.

LeBron James wants to own an NBA franchise

In October 2022, the Lakers flew to Las Vegas to play a preseason game. On this occasion, apart from defeating the Phoenix Suns with a 119-115 scoreline, the T-Mobile Arena’s atmosphere delighted James. In the post-game conference, it prompted him to make a bold announcement to the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, stating,

“It’s the best fan base in the world and I would love to bring a team here at some point. That would be amazing…I want a team here Adam [Silver], thank you”.

Since then, his actions have matched his words exciting the fans about the prospects of the future. Additionally, as a partner in the Fenway Sports Group, James owns minority stakes in numerous sports teams. So, the upcoming NBA franchise could become his crown jewel while boosting his status in the world of sports.