Lebron Wants to Own an NBA Team, Too

LeBron James had a wildly successful week. The 36-year-old became the oldest player in NBA history to record back-to-back triple-doubles, he launched a new partnership with PepsiCo, and it was revealed he’ll be part-owner of the Boston Red Sox.

Yet King James the businessman wants more. In a postgame interview on Tuesday, he said his next career move could be owning an NBA team.

Michael Jordan is the sole former player to become a majority owner of an NBA team. He bought the Charlotte Hornets for $180 million in 2010 and owned 97% of the team until he sold a 20% stake in 2019.

LeBron has owned a small percentage of Liverpool FC since 2011, the Red Sox deal just needs to be finalized, and NBA team ownership would add him to a short list beyond Jordan.

• Magic Johnson owned 10% of the Los Angeles Lakers at one time. He currently owns a 2.3% stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers, and is a co-owner of LAFC.
• Shaquille O’Neal bought somewhere between a 2% and 4% stake in the Sacramento Kings in 2013.
• Grant Hill was part of a group that purchased the Atlanta Hawks for $850 million.
• Last month, Renee Montgomery became the first former WNBA player with an ownership stake in a WNBA team, the Atlanta Dream.

“I know what it takes to win at this level, I know talent, and I also know how to run a business as well,” James said. “My goal is to own a NBA franchise, and it’ll be sooner than later.”