LeBron James' goal is NBA ownership: 'It'll be sooner than later'
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James didn't bounce around what he wants his next move to be after basketball.
It's more basketball, but from a different vantage point. After James became a part owner of MLB's Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, he laid out his future plans for fans and reporters.
"My goal is to own an NBA franchise," he said after the Lakers' 137-121 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. "And it'll be sooner than later."
James eyes NBA ownership 'sooner than later'
The "sooner than later" part is the key as active NBA players cannot own a team. That's why Renee Montgomery retired from the WNBA to buy in to the Atlanta Dream ownership group — which she did with help from James.
That kind of play has been in James' mind for a while.
"I've always said that my goal was to own a team, own an NBA team," James said. "I've got so much to give to the game. I know what it takes to win at this level. I know talent. I also know how to run a business as well and so that is my goal."
James has said he wants to stay in the league long enough to play with his son, Bronny. James is under contract with the Lakers through the 2022-23 season, when he'll be 38. His son is currently a sophomore (class of 2023) at Sierra Canyon High School in L.A.
NBA franchises don't come up for sale all that often, either. So putting ownership at about five years out isn't that far off. He could start as he did with Liverpool FC and buy a small share in an NBA team after retirement.
James on being FSG's first Black partners
James became a co-owner of the Red Sox alongside longtime business partner and friend Maverick Carter by becoming partners with Fenway Sports Group on Tuesday. FSG owns the Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Roush Fenway Racing and regional sports network NESN.
They are the first Black partners in the company's two-decade-long history.
"To be the first two Black men to be a part of that ownership group in the history of that franchise, I think it's pretty damn cool," James said. "It gives me and people that look like me hope and inspiration that they could be in a position like that as well, that it can be done. It gives my kids at my I Promise School more and more inspiration as well.
"But it's a great day for myself, for my family, for my school, for my business partner, Maverick Carter, and everyone that has something to do with our group. It's a pretty amazing thing and for me to continue to build my portfolio off the floor, also, in a beautiful game like baseball."
James' portfolio continues to expand outside of four NBA championships. His Springhill Entertainment is involved in "Space Jam: A New Legacy" and he's brought other hits to HBO. The I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, is helping at-risk youth and families with education and financial resources and showed improved test scores. And over the summer he launched "More Than A Vote," which revealed its latest campaign this month.
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