Imagine being a kid in the far east watching the NBA, wanting to be a professional basketball player, and one fine day, you are told by the great LeBron James to go for it. During the last 20 years of his professional career, LeBron has visited China 15 times. James first visited the country in 2005. 3 years later, he found himself at the helm of the US national team, winning a gold medal for his country.
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As he concludes his most recent visit to China, LeBron sat down with CCTV and talked about a plethora of things; from his best memories in the country to meeting basketball player, Zhao Rui. The first time James and Rui met, the latter had yet to play a game in the CBA league. Cut to 9 years later, Rui is now the captain of the Chinese men’s basketball team.
Every time James visits China, he makes it a point to play with aspiring young talents and share his skills and experience with them. As he embarks on the third act of his career, a compelling case can be made about his future as a coach. Unfortunately, however, King James is not a fan of the idea.
“No. No, no, no, no,” James told the interviewer, as if he couldn’t stress it enough. “No coach for me. No, no, no. I always aspire to the game. I love the game. But I don’t have coaching in my future,” the Lakers star added.
James is often accused of being the unofficial GM of the team, but coaching is not something he dips his toes in. Despite his hugely successful podcast ‘Mind The Game,’ where James shows off his immaculate basketball IQ, LeBron does not want to be back on the sidelines after he retires.
LeBron has been rather vocal about his desire to own an NBA team. In 2022, he very publicly told NBA commissioner Adam Silver that he would love to be involved if the league ever extended its presence to Las Vegas, asserting that Sin City had the best fans in the world.
“I would love to bring a team here at some point. That would be amazing. 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,” he had said.
The NBA Commissioner always talked about getting the NBA media deal done first(which got done last offseason) before talking about expansion teams. If reports are to be believed, there are talks of two expansion teams in the near future. We can be sure James would be right there, bidding on the same.
James is already a part-owner of the soccer team, Liverpool FC, and MLB’s Boston Red Sox. His desire to own a team in a league where he spent half his life makes total sense.
