Lakers News: Shaquille O'Neal Hints That LeBron James May Join His Vegas Ownership Bid
People forget that Los Angeles Lakers stars Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James spent a season together - although not in Purple and Gold.
In the tail end of his career, Shaq was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers where a then-25-year-old LeBron was hitting the prime of his career.
Now over a decade into his retirement, Shaq hinted that the two could reunite, but this time off of the court.
The NBA is expected to expand to 32 teams once its new set of media rights deals are set in stone, and Las Vegas is among the most likely cities to host a new team.
A longtime resident of Las Vegas, Shaq told Arash Markazi of The Messenger that he would be interested in owning an NBA team in a city he is heavily invested in.
"I would like to have my own group," O'Neal said. "I know Vegas hasn't been awarded an NBA team yet, but if they ever get to a point where they are awarded a team, I would like to be a part of that. I don't want to partner up with nobody. I want it all for myself."
According to multiple reports, Shaq is worth roughly $400 million, meaning he is a long way away from being able to afford an NBA team. At a pre-race party before the F1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas, Shaq hinted that he could seek the assistance of his teammate of one season.
"If there's ever an NBA team coming here, I'd definitely like to be involved," O'Neal said. "With LeBron, without LeBron, I just want to be involved."
LeBron, who is worth over a billion dollars, has also expressed his interest in owning a team, but again, the duo would simply not be able to afford the massive expense unless they put their collective net worths on red and got lucky a couple of times.
The Phoenix Suns were sold late last year for $4 billion.
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