LeBron James Links OKC Thunder to Future Ownership Plans

NBA star and businessman LeBron James has launched a new podcast called Mind the Game with former sharpshooter JJ Reddick. Although the show’s goal is to

promote basketball in general, it is already making waves that many had

anticipated. While Xs and Os, tactics, and everything in between were discussed,

James gave a brief nod to Oklahoma City for its recent drafting. “I promise you

that those players will work for me without a doubt when I acquire my

[NBA] team—the teams that draft well. OKC performs incredible work.

Naturally, James was chuckling as he made the remark, which came right after Reddick’s remarks regarding how well or poorly teams consistently draft. However, given that James will ultimately own an NBA team, there may be some validity to the claim.

The four-time winner hasn’t kept quiet about it; in fact, he’s stated categorically that he looks forward to that phase of his career in the future. To be more precise, he wants to do it in Las Vegas. The NFL’s Raiders, the NBA’s Golden Knights, the WNBA’s Aces, F1 is quickly approaching, All-Star Weekend has visited the area a few times, and the NBA Summer League is a huge attraction. I believe that the addition of an NBA franchise to this community would only accelerate the momentum already building in this area. And I hope to be there during that period. In its brief 16-year existence, the Thunder have established quite the NBA Draft reputation, choosing three previous MVPs during its first run, and more recently, picking players like Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren.

There are numerous former Thunder executives in the NBA, and adding front

office staff from OKC has long been a tactic used by other teams in the league.

For now, it’s just The King’s casual compliment. However, if and when

James signs with an NBA team, it might soon become a reality.