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Maverick Carter: LeBron James Wants to Own NBA Franchise, Possibly NFL Team Too
July 18, 2018
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter are already making plans for his next steps after retirement, which apparently include team ownership.
"Yeah, 10 years from now ... I know LeBron will be owning a basketball team or maybe even a football team," Carter told Audrey Cleo of Variety. "He does like football and he's looked at football ownership, so he'll be owning a basketball team and running it."
James just signed a four-year, $154 million contract with the Lakers this offseason, adding to an impressive bankroll of high-dollar contracts. According to Basketball Reference, he has already surpassed $237 million in career earnings through the 2017-18 season.
Meanwhile, these contracts are just a fraction of what the 33-year-old's income over the last decade-and-a-half.
According to Forbes, James checks in as the sixth-highest-paid athlete in the world on the latest money list, but $52 million of his estimated $85.5 million income came from endorsements. Only tennis star Roger Federer made more from endorsements.
The basketball player also ventured into the soccer world to get his first taste of sports franchise ownership, currently holding a 2 percent stake in Liverpool. That initial $6.5 million investment is now worth $32.5 million seven years later, per Darren Rovell of ESPN.com.
Buying an NBA team would be the logical progression for the businessman.
If this dream does come true, James could follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan, who owns the Charlotte Hornets, as well as Magic Johnson, who moved into a different sport while purchasing a share of the Los Angeles Dodgers.