Whitey's NBA Ownership Problem
- Fred
- Apr 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 6
This week, the Artemis II space mission returned the astronauts to the moon....
Well, not ON the moon, but NEAR the moon.
When I was a kid, I thought everyone was as excited about space travel as I was, but when I became an adult, I was vaguely aware of an undercurrent of Americans, especially minorities, that thought that NASA money would be better spent on the poor.
This week on social media, the anti-NASA chatter was louder than I remember it being in recent memory.
I live in Cleveland, Ohio and have followed LeBron James' basketball career since he was a Junior at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. Even before James said "I want to win an NBA Championship," he said "I want to be a billionaire."
And, for as long as I can remember, James has stated, over and over, "I want to be an NBA owner."
So it was very, VERY suspicious when James came out this week and, according to ESPN: "LeBron James no longer has an intention to pursue being part of an ownership group for a potential NBA expansion franchise in Las Vegas. "No, I'm not (interested)," James said after scoring 30 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 124-116 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. "Not at all." It was a possibility that James had publicly entertained on multiple occasions in the past. On a 2022 episode of his digital show "The Shop," James said, "I want a team in Vegas. I want the team in Vegas."
What changed his mind? I think there are real discussions of James being a primary owner in the NBA rival league-
What NBA rival league? Last year, James' business manager, Maverick Carter, announced that
he was spearheading an international alternative to the NBA. Details on the new league? Not forthcoming.
Why can't James himself talk about the other league? Because he's still being paid by the NBA. Right now, the NBA has no Black owners. It does have 2 minority owners, but "not the right kind" of minority owners. James doesn't want to kill the golden goose until he's used up the golden goose.
Just yesterday, James was belly-aching about cities he has to play in. “41 years old, it’s two cities I do not like playing in right now,” James said on Saturday. “That’s Milwaukee, and that’s Memphis. What is the problem? I don’t like going home either. Shit, and I’m from there.”
I am telling you, James and Carter are going to create an international conglomerate that "caters" to the players. Something like this:
-Teams only in cities where players want to go to.
-Short, 30 game seasons.
-No tanking, because "every game matters."
-No back to back games.
-No draft, players dictate movement.
-No long, best-of-7 playoff series. Best 2 out of 3 played in one weekend at higher seed's home.
-Players get summers and CHRISTMAS off.
North American Division
Los Angeles
New York
Atlanta
Miami
Nashville
Las Vegas
Houston
Tijuana
International Division
Macau
Tokyo
Morocco
Madrid
Istanbul
Paris
Dubai
Kuala Lumpur
"Spring Season" runs from January to May.
"Fall Season" runs from the end of July to Thanksgiving.
The league is dark Monday through Wednesday.
Every team plays every other team once. If you play a team at home in Spring, you play the same team away in Fall.
Every week, a team plays a 2 game series, either a Thu/Sat slate or a Fri/Sun pair. You only travel once a week if you have an away game.
15 weeks, 30 games. (30 games is about the same as college). Cap on 85 total games per year (including playoffs).
Top 4 in each division make playoffs, champion of North America plays champion of International to become "true" world titlist at rotating neutral site.
One champ every season, two per year.
The league would (try to) position itself above the NBA and the EuroLeague
I have contended that James thinks of himself as bigger than the NBA. I believe he wants to set himself apart from the Dan Gilberts and the Jeanie Busses of the world. Would LeBron James bet his figurative billionaire farm AGAINST the league that made him a billionaire?
In retirement, he'll have the opportunity to prove it.
Will he focus on minority ownership for the new (proposed) league and turn it into a race thing? I'm sure LeBron could find 15 other minority billionaires from around the world to fulfill his vision.
To be continued.....
Yes, I know one of the Artemis astronauts is Black.
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