LeBron James hasn’t been shy about his desire to be an owner. But when he, or just about any athlete who’s still playing, says he wants to own a team one day, it can sound like a bit of a lark, akin to “I’d like to own a pony.” What few realize is that LeBron, with the help of people he trusts the most, has been making maneuvers and preparations so that if he were to retire today, and an NBA franchise was for sale tomorrow, he could place a bid.
He not only has the finances to be a primary investor, but enough of the right people around him, and enough cache built in the league, to pull it off. As LeBron told The Athletic in one of two conversations about this: “Ain’t no maybe about it, I’m going to do that s—.”
James reportedly flew to Saudi Arabia to meet with Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud among others to strengthen his bid when the time comes per ESPN
