Could this happen soon enough for him to join that team and play?
All-NBA small forward LeBron James appears to be looking elsewhere as his fifth Los Angeles Lakers season gets underway. But don’t worry, Los Angeles supporters; it doesn’t appear likely that James will be able to play for a rival team very soon.
The Lakers were ultimately defeated 119-115 in overtime by Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns in a preseason game, and James had a great first half. The new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas served as the battle’s neutral ground. The final score is less significant than what we witnessed during the first 24 minutes of the game because James and several of the team’s other veteran players sat for the majority of the second half (and James for the whole second half).
In just 17:26 minutes, the Chosen One scored 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting. The Los Angeles guards Kendrick Nunn, Austin Reaves, and Patrick Beverley all displayed good form and centered themselves around James.
But the interesting part started after the game. James was asked a seemingly unimportant question regarding his thoughts on Vegas during his postgame media conference. He gave strong compliments.
As you can see in the video, when asked directly how he felt about the boisterous Las Vegas audience at T-Mobile Arena, James did not hold back. The interviewer who asked probably had no idea how fired up the potential Hall of Famer would become, bringing his demand for an NBA expansion club all the way to the top of the league’s hierarchy.
The best fandom in the world, it’s wonderful. James, the star of the 17-time champion Los Angeles Lakers, a franchise known for its die-hard supporters, gushed about a city without an NBA team, despite Vegas being home to the stacked Las Vegas Aces, who will win the WNBA championship in 2022 and are coached by Becky Hammon. James said, “I would love to bring a team here at some point, it would be fantastic. I assume [NBA commissioner] Adam [Silver] is currently in Abu Dhabi, where the Bucks and Atlanta are playing a preseason matchup. I want a team here, Adam, please. He probably views every NBA player interview and transcript that is sent in.
James obviously seems to be implying that he would like to be associated with a team in Las Vegas. So, one wonders if Silver and company will be able to bring a new team to Vegas in time for the 37-year-old superstar to join that squad.
The league’s primary goal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, is negotiating a lucrative new TV and media deal as well as reaching an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement with the league’s players union. Woj warns that while the much-discussed rumors of new clubs opening in Seattle and Las Vegas are certainly plausible, they may still be “years away” from becoming a reality.
Photo Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/