The NBA has been headed towards the first expansion of the league since 2004, when the league added the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) to the list of participating teams. Outside the Hornets, some of the youngest teams in the league came into existence in the 1990s, like the Vancouver Grizzlies (now Memphis) and the Toronto Raptors.
After having a 30-team league for almost 20 years, it seems the NBA will be looking at options for expansion soon. The cities leading the race for an expansion team have been Seattle, who lost their SuperSonics to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Las Vegas.
LeBron James has previously expressed his desire to be a part of the ownership of the franchise in Las Vegas, something NBA Insider Ric Bucher believes is increasingly likely that LeBron will be the owner of the Las Vegas franchise whenever the league decides to expand.
“LeBron James apparently is in the pole position, to be the owner of the Las Vegas expansion franchise, when Las Vegas and Seattle which I’m told is going to happen as soon as the next TV deals are in place, that those franchises are going to be added to the equation, which has a whole lot of repercussions including the timing of when LeBron decides to step aside and become an owner, rather than a player.” (h/t HoopsHype)
LeBron is still an active player but may have the opportunity to transition seamlessly into the role of an NBA owner after his playing career is over.
If the next NBA TV deal comes about in 2024, the timing for LeBron may be as ideal as possible. He can play another season in the league and complete his dream of playing alongside Bronny true and then swing on over to the next chapter in his basketball life, joining Michael Jordan at the ownership table of the NBA.
