Rich Paul's statement could end LeBron James' ambition to own an NBA team: "I think it's a slippery slope"

It's no secret that LeBron James wants to own an NBA team. King James has made it known that he wants to be part of the ownership group of the league's next expansion team, reportedly in Las Vegas.

But while the four-time champion has publicly expressed his intention to bid for an NBA team, his super agent, Rich Paul , recently said that he doesn't want any part of that because he thinks it is a 'slippery slope.'

"I don't want to be an owner, just to be clear," said Paul on The Pivot Podcast. "I know people always think like everything he does, we'd just 'throw me in' it. No, no. And I think you'll see a lot more of the athletes wanna be in an ownership space. I think it's a slippery slope, I really do."

LeBron and Rich Paul are tight

Bron and Rich met over a Warren Moon jersey many years ago. When Bron entered the NBA in 2003, he hired his new buddy to be his personal assistant with a $50K annual salary. However, Paul wasn't content with making money as LeBron's confidant. He learned the tricks of the trade and became a player agent. Later, he built Klutch Sports and is now one of the most powerful sports agents in the U.S.

King James' business manager is his childhood buddy Maverick Carter. But given how tight LeBron and Rich are, it's almost impossible to see the Los Angeles Lakers superstar investing a considerable amount of money in a business endeavor that one of his closest confidants isn't sold on.

"In our collective bargaining agreement that just passed, they allowed the players to participate in ownership and that's a slippery slope because I think it's important to identify deal flow and participate there. And there's a thing called circumvention of the cap, which was a rule years ago when contracts were very low," explained Paul.

Windy gave oppionon on LBJ's future

It's been a while since LeBron has talked about owning the Las Vegas NBA franchise. But earlier this month, ESPN's Brian Windhorst, who has followed James' career very closely since he was in high school, recently talked about the Kid from Akron playing out his newly signed Lakers deal before transitioning into the role of team owner.

"So the biggest thing, other than health, that is going to determine the end of LeBron's career is when the league owners set forth a timeline about when they are going to establish that expansion team in Las Vegas…He wants to join up with partners to become the face of the franchise in Las Vegas," declared Windhorst.

King James has always been someone who pursues his dreams. However, he is a self-made billionaire who defers to his most trusted lieutenants. With perhaps his closest confidante declining an ownership stake, it will be interesting to see what Bron decides next.

Related: John Wall says he was the East's second-best player behind LeBron in his prime: “I’m one of those guys people talk about on the regular”