“I believe LBJ would give up playing to become an owner of an NBA franchise” – NBA analyst predicts roadmap for LeBron James to own an NBA franchise, compares his path with Michael Jordan owning Wizards

It's no secret that LeBron James wants to own an NBA franchise at some point. Although the NBA has doubled down and reaffirmed that they have no imminent plans to announce an expansion, that hasn't stopped speculation among fans. By all accounts, it seems as though after James gets the chance to play with both of his sons, he will switch gears and become the owner of a franchise.

The way analyst Shannon Sharpe sees it, James could very well step away from the game in order to become the owner of an NBA franchise. The situation would mirror that of Michael Jordan, who stepped away from basketball at the turn of the century. At the time, Jordan became a minority owner of the Washington Wizards and was named the VP of Basketball operations.

Ultimately, when Jordan came out of retirement in 2001, he was forced to give up his ownership in the team. With the NBA potentially expanding to Las Vegas and Seattle in the next decade, James' path to becoming a majority owner could start out much like Jordan's. On a recent episode of Undisputed with Skip & Shannon, the NFL Hall of Famer spoke about the situation, saying:

"In the next 3 years they come up and say 'okay we're about to expand', we're offering expansions in Vegas and Seattle - LeBron is still playing. Does that mean he's willing to say I'm done playing to become an owner? ... I believe he would be willing to give up playing to become an owner of an NBA franchise."

Despite the fact that the NBA has revealed they don't have any imminent expansion plans, James has remained adamant that he wants to own an NBA franchise. Just this week, James addressed NBA commissioner Adam Silver directly, doubling down on his intentions to own an NBA franchise.

LeBron James - NBA Owner

LeBron James - Washington Wizards v Los Angeles Lakers

Although LeBron James is one of the most popular players in the league, his potential ownership has become incredibly controversial. On the heels of the Lakers offering James a whopping two-year $97M extension, many fans are questioning his focus. Considering the fact that a Vegas NBA franchise will likely wind up in the same division as the Lakers, many are sensing a conflict of interest.

In addition, fans have pointed out that right now the Lakers are the most popular team in Las Vegas. Should the NBA expand to Sin City, the Lakers fanbase could be fractured. Although the team's core fanbase in Los Angeles will never waver, it would create an interesting rivalry between the two teams.

Of course, with all of that said, James is in the midst of ramping things up in anticipation of the upcoming season. Just this week, LeBron James had a huge bounce-back game after struggling in his preseason debut. With the regular-season tip-off just twelve days away, all eyes are on L.A. as the team looks to improve on a season that saw them miss the playoffs.