Nick Wright Calls For LeBron James to Own NBA Expansion Team

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has long expressed interest in bringing an NBA franchise to Las Vegas, and with the league poised to vote next week on formally exploring expansion into Sin City and Seattle, FS1’s Nick Wright says the timing is perfect for the four-time MVP to transition from court to boardroom.

“This is not without precedent because the league helped out Michael Jordan in this regard,” Wright argued Monday on First Things First, referencing the NBA’s 2010 approval of Jordan’s purchase of the Charlotte Hornets. “If there is going to be a team in Vegas, and LeBron still wants to be a part of the ownership group, it is in the NBA’s best interest to grease those skids as much as possible.”

Wright’s comments came hours after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the NBA’s Board of Governors will vote during next week’s meetings on whether to green-light studies for two new clubs that could debut as early as the 2028-29 season. Seattle, home of the former SuperSonics, and Las Vegas are the favored destinations.

Wright believes the league would benefit from fast-tracking James, whose global brand and business acumen rival his on-court résumé. “For an expansion team, there’s gonna be a bunch of groups that all say, ‘Hey, we have the requisite fee,’ and then the league is gonna pick. I think the tie would go to the one that LeBron is in. It would be good for the league.”

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst echoed that sentiment, noting that record-setting franchise valuations—most recently the Lakers at $10 billion and the Celtics at $6.1 billion—will attract deep-pocketed bidders willing to pay premium expansion fees. “The panacea for all of it is the amount of money we’re talking about here,” Windhorst said on NBA Today.

James, 39, is in the final season of his Lakers contract and has yet to announce whether he will pursue an unprecedented 24th NBA campaign. Off the court, he already holds ownership positions within Fenway Sports Group, giving him stakes in the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC. In October 2022, after a preseason game at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, James publicly lobbied commissioner Adam Silver: “It’s the best fan base in the world, and I would love to bring a team here at some point. That would be amazing.”

If the Board of Governors votes to proceed, the league would then craft guidelines for an expansion draft, address potential conference realignment, and open the bidding process. Wright insists that, just as the NBA smoothed Jordan’s path in Charlotte, it should do the same for James in Vegas. “Retire as a GOAT, and then become a minority owner in Vegas,” Wright said, drawing a parallel to Tom Brady, who secured a minority stake in the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders after retiring from football.

With James’s playing future uncertain and Las Vegas on the cusp of landing its first NBA team, the stage is set for one of basketball’s most influential figures to swap jersey for ownership stake—and, if Wright gets his wish, the league appears ready to assist.