Another Lakers Great Wants To Compete With LeBron James For Vegas NBA Ownership
Current Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA superstar LeBron James may not be the only Purple and Gold legend with an interest in owning a chunk of the supposedly forthcoming expansion franchise in Las Vegas.
Per Arash Markazi of The Messenger, three-time LA champion Shaquille O'Neal would also like a crack at the gig.
“I would like to have my own group,” O’Neal told The Messenger. “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.”
Markazi notes that league commissioner Adam Silver has indicated that the NBA may look to expand as soon as 2025, depending on when it inks its next media rights contract. Vegas and Seattle seem to be at the top of the rumored heap. Mexico City has also been floated as a potential locale.
Why would O'Neal prefer Vegas over any other destination? Well, he lives there, for one.
“I’ve been living in Las Vegas for over 20 years,” O’Neal said. “I love it here. Las Vegas has always been a city you knew was going to grow. You could see different casinos, different real estate projects and different night clubs popping up. I’ve always been a part of it. I used to own one of the hottest night clubs, sold it and now I got 9-10 restaurants here. I’m doing very, very well and I want to continue to grow with Vegas.”
The Big Diesel, worth an estimated $400 million, previously owned a stake of the Sacramento Kings, who were longtime rivals of his on the hardwood during his Lakers years. The 15-time All-Star had a piece of the club from 2013-22, just before it made its surprise playoff return this past spring.
Although James and O'Neal LA tenures never overlapped, they were teammates for one season, in 2009-10, on the Cleveland Cavaliers. O'Neal was at this point just a season removed from his final All-Star year, with the Phoenix Suns, but was far from his Los Angeles prime. He averaged 12 points and 6.7 boards across 53 games during his age-37 season. James, though he would win his second MVP that season, hadn't reached the ultimate NBA champion form he would first achieve with the Miami Heat.
Though that Cavs club finished with a 61-21 record and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, it was upset in the second round by the Orlando Magic. With his title chances seemingly hitting insurmountable road blocks in Cleveland at the time, James departed as a free agent for the Heat, while O'Neal left for the Celtics.
Lakers fans can probably recall who did wind up winning it all in 2010.
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