ESPN analyst talks LeBron James theory

Could LeBron James one day become an NBA owner? According to one of James’ closest confidants, it might not be a farfetched thought.

Brian Windhorst, ESPN’s longtime basketball writer and insider, rummaged about the possibility of LeBron owning an NBA team after retiring.

Windhorst delivered this nugget of speculation on First Take Thursday morning.

“First, we have to acknowledge that if you’re 39 years old, of course you’re year to year. You have no idea what injuries could happen or whatever,” Windhorst said, arguing that James’ contract was “absolutely” structured on a year-to-year basis. Windhorst cited, though, that this past season saw James play the most games in a season since joining the Lakers in 2018.

“I don’t think his intention is to only play one more year, acknowledging that it could be out of his hands. So, LeBron has very clearly laid out with his words and actions what his checklist is. He wants to be a Laker,” Windhorst explained.

“He’s about to enter his seventh year there. That’s the longest run he’s had with any team,” Windhorst said. Then he said James wanted to play with his son Bronny, and he surely will. Then Windhorst dropped the shebang:

“The biggest thing, other than health, that we’re gonna see that is going to determine when the end of LeBron’s career is is when the owners of the league set forth a timeline about when they’re gonna establish that expansion team in Las Vegas,” Windhorst argued. “I suspect once the TV rights deals get wrapped up … they’re gonna bring expansion to the table.”

Windhorst emphatically said, “He wants to partner with partners to become the face of the franchise in Las Vegas.”

Whether LeBron’s grand plan comes together remains to be seen, and there’s been an awful lot of talk over the years about potential expansion to Las Vegas. But Windhorst is right: James has positioned himself to pursue ownership after his playing career is done. But, as always, we’ll see how it all shakes out.

[ First Take ]

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