LeBron James: Future NBA Owner

Lebron James (David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)

LeBron James continues to impress folks with all his on court and off the court moves. LeBron James is still in his prime. LeBron James is still the king of the NBA. With all that said, why not dream bigger. Recently, LeBron James was a guest on  Jesse William’s sports podcast ” Open Run”, LeBron stated his life-long dream is to one day own an NBA franchise.

“I would love to continue to give my knowledge to the game. I would love to be a part of a franchise – if not at the top … My dream is to actually own a team. I don’t need to (be) fully hands on. If I’m fortunate enough to own a team, then I’ll going to hire the best GM and president that I can. But I feel like I got a good eye for not only talent, because we all see a lot of talent, but the things that make the talent. The chemistry, what type of guy he is, his work ethic, his passion, the basketball I.Q. side of things. Because talent only goes so far.”

LeBron James: Future NBA Owner

LeBron James is the standard for the way athletes should conduct their business.  King James already owns part of a Premier League team, not to mention his production company , and  one of the heads behind Klutch Sports Agency. Counting the extension he signed this summer, James will have earned more than $270 million in player salary in his career. He also inked a lifetime contract extension with Nike last year worth more than $1 billion, not to mention the many other endorsements LeBron James has under his belt.

There is nothing LeBron James can’t do, if he really put his mind on it. James being an owner would be an incredible story.  Most great players, when they walk away, they’re ready for something new. For James, he’ll always be around the game. It’s given him too much. Ironically, he was named the choose one from grade school. To be an iconic figure before the NBA and then to actually own one, is a story made for TV.

LeBron James: Future NBA Owner

Unlike Michael Jordan, many believe LeBron James wouldn’t fail as a franchise owner. LeBron has an eye for talent and how to manipulate a situation. LeBron wants to build cultures around himself and others. He isn’t afraid  to take risk. Just look how LeBron handles his business. There won’t be much stopping him, as James is the most prodigious active earner both in terms of annual salary and endorsement contracts, and while he likely never will be able to piece together the $3+ billion he’ll need to buy a team all on his own 10 years from now, he’s got more than enough to buy into a minority stake. Frankly, there aren’t many teams that wouldn’t love to have him as a figurehead of the franchise, and his desire to move into an ownership position is far from unprecedented.

Michael Jordan was the first player to transition into an NBA owner. Many feel Jordan doesn’t have the eyes to spot talent. That’s something LeBron James has. LeBron is the face of the millennial generation. He more vocal, more in tuned and  more proactive than Micheal Jordan. Highly unlikely that LeBron James will fail at being an NBA owner. If a basketball is involved,  James simply will not lose.